US seizes plane belonging to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and flies it to Florida

US officials have seized a $13m plane belonging to the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, the Justice Department announced.

The aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 900EX equivalent to the country’s Air Force One, was seized in the Dominican Republic on Monday and transported to Florida , the DOJ said. Officials claim the plane’s purchase violated US export control and sanctions laws.

Following the seizure, photos appeared to show federal agents collecting boxes of evidence from the aircraft.

The US has imposed sanctions in the Latin American country for years, and has seized dozens of luxury vehicles bound for Venezuela.

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

“The Department will continue to pursue those who violate our sanctions and export controls to prevent them from using American resources to undermine the national security of the United States.”

The plane had been at the Dominican Republic’s Higüero-Doctor Joaquín Balaguer International Airport in Santo Domingo since May 19, according to Listín Diario , a Dominican newspaper.

After the aircraft arrived in the country, the Dominican attorney general’s office said the plane was being detained but the reasons were not publicly disclosed at the time.

Later, the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation said it was due to a judicial problem, the outlet reported. The Justice Department’s International Affairs Office worked with Dominican authorities to seize the aircraft. The Dominican government alerted Maduro’s office of the seizure, CNN reported.

Venezuela suspended commercial flights to and from the Dominican Republic on July 28 after Maduro’s widely-disputed reelection. Several Western countries asked the Venezuelan government to publish voting tallies in full after Maduro claimed victory, despite evidence suggesting opposition candidate Edmundo González won 67 percent of the vote.

At least 23 protesters have been killed in demonstrations following the election. Approximately 2,400 have been arrested, the United Nation claims. Maduro has served as the country’s president since 2013. He succeeded his political ally, the left-wing firebrand Hugo Chavez.

The Independent has emailed the DOJ and the Venezuelan and Dominican governments for comment.

Maduro is accused of violating executive order 13884, which prohibits US citizens from conducting transactions with anyone representing the Venezuela’s government.

Between 2022 and 2023, people close to Maduro used a Caribbean-based shell organization to conceal their involvement in the plane’s illegal purchase from a Florida-based company, the DOJ alleges.

The plane was then taken from the US to Venezuela through the Caribbean in April 2023. Since May 2023, the aircraft has been flown from the Caribbean to a military base in Venezuela with either Maduro or his representatives on board. The Venezuelan president has also used the aircraft for international travel.

The long range jet has been in production since 1995. It can seat up to 16 passengers. Maduro’s model is white and decked out with red and blue stripes on the sides.

The Department of Commerce’s and Department of Homeland Security are investigating the case. The Venezuelan government will have a chance to petition the plane’s seizure.

The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has offered a reward of up to $15m for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction. In March 2020, the DOJ charged Maduro , together with 14 current and former Venezuelan officials, with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and corruption.