US Seizes $13 Million Plane Belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

The aircraft is seen at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in Florida

US officials have confiscated a $13 million plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Justice Department announced. The Dassault Falcon 900EX, akin to Venezuela’s Air Force One, was seized in the Dominican Republic on Monday and transported to Florida. The DOJ alleges that the aircraft's purchase breached US export control and sanctions laws.

Photos following the seizure show federal agents collecting evidence from the plane. The aircraft had been at Higüero-Doctor Joaquín Balaguer International Airport in Santo Domingo since May 19. Initially detained for undisclosed reasons, the plane's seizure was later confirmed to involve judicial issues, as reported by Dominican media.

Maduro at a rally in Caracas, Venezuela in August

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, “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 Nicolás Maduro and his associates. We will continue to pursue those who violate our sanctions and export controls to prevent them from using American resources to undermine our national security.”

The DOJ claims that between 2022 and 2023, Maduro’s associates used a Caribbean-based shell company to mask their involvement in the illegal acquisition of the plane from a Florida company. The aircraft was then transported to Venezuela via the Caribbean in April 2023 and has since been used for international travel by Maduro or his representatives.

Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro’s jet, a Dassault Falcon 900, equivalent to Venezuela’s Air Force One, was confiscated for sanction violations on Monday

The long-range jet, produced since 1995, can accommodate up to 16 passengers and is decorated with red and blue stripes on the sides. The Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security are investigating the case, and the Venezuelan government will have an opportunity to challenge the seizure.

The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is offering up to $15 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction. In March 2020, the DOJ charged Maduro and 14 other Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption.