US seizes airplane used by Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro

FILE - Incumbent President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro looks forward during the Gran Marcha Mundial por la Paz supporting incumbent president Maduro on August 17, 2024 in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Images)

The U.S. government says it has seized a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 900EX, was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the Southern District of Florida at the request of the United States based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws, according to the Department of Justice. 

U.S. Attorney General said in a press release that authorities allege the plane was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the U.S. to be used by Maduro. 

The plane was exported from the U.S. to Venezuela, through the Caribbean, in April 2023 in a transaction meant to circumvent an executive order that bars U.S. persons from business transactions with the Maduro regime.

Image provided by the Department of Justice. 

Who is Nicolás Maduro?

Nicolás Maduro became the Venezuelan president when electoral authorities declared him the winner in late July. The self-proclaimed socialist leader was seeking a third, six-year term.

But the victory was declared without authorities showing any detailed results to back up their claim. 

The lack of transparency has drawn international condemnation against Maduro’s government.

Meanwhile, the opposition managed to obtain more than 80% of vote tally sheets – considered the ultimate proof of results – nationwide. The documents, the faction said, show Maduro losing by a wide margin against former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez.

Maduro is also wanted in the U.S. to face federal drug trafficking charges in New York. The U.S. has offered a $15 million bounty for his arrest.