Venezuela|According to the US Department of Justice, the acquisition of the aircraft violated sanctions.
United States has seized the president of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro an airplane.
According to the US Department of Justice, the acquisition of the plane was found to be in violation of US sanctions and related to other crimes, CNN news. The plane was flown from the Dominican Republic to Florida.
The US official said the country cooperated with the Dominican Republic, which notified Venezuela of the seizure.
Attorney General of the United States Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft was illegally purchased for $13 million through a bulvan company and smuggled out of the United States for the use of Maduro and his inner circle.
The plane was bought from a Florida company and transported to Venezuela in April 2023.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
of the United States and Venezuela’s relations have long been strained. The United States is conducting an investigation into what it considers to be corruption by the Venezuelan government.
Maduro, his allies and Venezuela’s vital oil sector are under heavy US sanctions. According to Reuters, it is likely that the United States would impose more sanctions on Venezuela.
The country held elections at the end of July, which Maduro claimed to have won. The opposition, on the other hand, said that its own calculations show that its candidate defeated Maduro by clear numbers. The result of the election has been a controversial topic both in Venezuela and outside of it.
“This is an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to experience the consequences of his mismanagement in Venezuela,” a White House National Security Council spokesman said, according to Reuters.
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