A month after Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro asserted himself the winner of disputed elections, the U.S. confiscated his presidential airplane in the Dominican Republic and transported it back to Florida.
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The Department of Homeland Security says the plane was seized “based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.”
“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 use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a 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 seizure takes place under the umbrella of Trump’s strong sanctions made against the dictator in 2019.
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Per US official, the US has seized Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro’s airplane in the Dominican Republic, and HSI flew it back to the US in Fort Lauderdale, FL this morning. I’m told the $13 million plane is Maduro’s version of Air Force One, used for state visits around the world, and it was seized in violation of sanctions laws and export controls, specifically, a violation of US executive order 13884, signed by President Trump in 2019.
The executive order placed a block on all property and property interests of Venezuela under U.S. jurisdiction.
EO 13884 imposes comprehensive blocking measures on the Government of Venezuela that block all property of the Government of Venezuela that is either in the United States or within the possession of any U.S. person worldwide. U.S. persons include any U.S. citizen, any person with U.S. permanent resident alien “Green Card” status (regardless of where they are located) any entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches) or any person in the United States.
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The plane was reportedly purchased in Florida in 2023 and exported through the Caribbean. The next step for the Venezuelan government, if they so choose, is for them to petition for the aircraft.
One of the next steps, upon arriving to the US, will be pursuing forfeiture, meaning the Venezuelan government has a chance to petition for it, and collecting evidence from the aircraft.
As RedState previously reported, the U.S. offered a “long-shot bid” of amnesty to Maduro and his top lieutenants if they would cede power to his opponent, Edmundo González Urrutia.
The seizure of the plane sends a strong message that no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions. This is a developing story, and RedState will continue to report on any developments.