US seizes private aircraft used by Nicolás Maduro
A Dassault Falcon 900EX used by sanctioned Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro Moros has been seized in the Dominican Republic.
Originally purchased for the $13m through a company in the US, the US government says that the aircraft (pictured below) was illegal smuggled out of the country and has been used by Maduro since mid-2023.
The US investigation claims in late 2022 and early 2023 Maduro affiliates allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of the Falcon 900EX, bearing tail number T7-ESPRT, from a company based in southern Florida.
In April 2023 the US says it was then illegally exported from the US to Venezuela through the Caribbean.
From May 2023 onwards, the aircraft has flown almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela and has also been used to transport Maduro on visits to other countries, according to the investigation.
The aircraft has now been transferred to the Southern District of Florida in relation to violations of US export control and sanctions laws, according to an announcement from the US Justice Department.
In August 2019, the US president issued Executive Order 13884, which prohibits US persons from engaging in transactions with persons who have any ties whatsoever to the government of Venezuela, including as a member of the Maduro regime. The Department of Commerce has also imposed export controls for items intended in any way for Venezuelan military or military-intelligence.
“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,” said US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
The investigation to seize the aircraft was a joint effort led by the Southern District of Florida, the National Security Division’s Counter Intelligence and Export Control Section, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of HSI Miami said: “The seizure of this aircraft is another significant action by Homeland Security Investigations working with our domestic and international partners against the illegal activities of the Maduro regime. The efforts here highlight HSI’s global reach and our continued commitment to enforce US sanctions and stemming the flow of illicit proceeds being generated from high level foreign public corruption.”
The Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Miami Field Office will investigate the case, along with the Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Dorado Task Force Miami.
The aircraft is likely to be sold at an auction of seized assets.
