US seizes Venezuelan President Maduro’s plane in Dominican Republic

US officials flew the private jet to Florida. Caracas called the seizure ‘piracy’; US Justice Department said the plane was bought illegally

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 900EX private jet, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after being seized by US officials. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:11am, 3 Sep 2024Updated: 7:45am, 3 Sep 2024

The United States on Monday seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s plane in the Dominican Republic and flew the jet to Florida, saying it acted over violation of US sanctions.

United States officials moved to take the aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 900EX private jet used by Maduro and members of his government, with the Justice Department saying the plane was “illegally purchased”.

“The Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for US$13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolas Maduro and his cronies,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Photo: dpa

Aircraft tracking site Flightradar24 showed that the jet flew from Santo Domingo to Fort Lauderdale on Monday morning.

Venezuela’s government on Monday slammed the seizure as “piracy”.

“Once again, the authorities of the United States of America are engaged in a criminal practice that cannot be described as anything other than piracy,” the foreign ministry in Caracas said in a statement.

The US says that in late 2022 and early 2023, individuals affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of the jet.