The United States on Monday, 2 September 2024, seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s plane in the Dominican Republic and flew it to Florida, saying it acted in 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 jet was “illegally purchased.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement saying, “The Justice Department seized an aircraft alleged was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolas Maduro and his cronies.” According to the aircraft tracking site Flight Radar 24, the flight left Santo Domingo for Fort Lauderdale on Monday morning.

When Maduro was announced the winner of the disputed election on July 28th, protests erupted throughout Venezuela, and more than 2,400 people were jailed.

The opposition says it won by a landslide and with voting records to back up its claims. Defying charges of dictatorship, the leftist Maduro government has resisted strong international pressure to provide vote tallying data to support its claim of victory.

A spokesperson for the US National Security Council stated, “Maduro and his representatives have tampered with the results of the July 28 presidential election, falsely claimed victory, and carried out widespread repression to maintain power by force.”

Additionally, they stated that the plane’s seizure “is an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences from his misgovernance of Venezuela.” The EU, the US, and a number of Latin American nations have declined to acknowledge Maduro as the winner until they have seen comprehensive voting results.

At least 192 people were injured and 27 individuals died as a result of the protest-related violence. A Congressional briefing document states that since 2005, Washington has placed sanctions on Venezuela that are directed at people and organizations “who have engaged in illegal, antidemocratic, or corrupt conduct.”

In response to abusing human rights and engaging in corruption more frequently by the government of Nicolas Maduro, which has been in power since 2023, “The Trump Administration expanded US sanctions to include financial, sectoral and government sanctions.”

AFP

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