3 months ago
8
In a double-down on Venezuelan president
Nicolas Maduro
, the US government on Monday seized Maduro's plane in the Dominican Republic and flew it to Florida, saying it was purchased illegally. The
Dassault Falcon 900EX
private jet used by Maduro and members of his government, was purchased through a shell company, the government said.
"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 Nicolas Maduro and his cronies," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
Aircraft tracking site Flight Radar 24 showed that the jet flew from Santo Domingo to Fort Lauderdale on Monday morning.
Maduro recently won the election disputed by the opposition and more than 2,400 people were arrested for protesting against Maduro. "Maduro and his representatives' have tampered with the results of the July 28 presidential election, falsely claimed victory, and carried out wide-spread repression to maintain power by force," a US National Security Council spokesperson said.
The seizure of the plane "is an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences from his misgovernance of Venezuela," they added.
The United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries have refused to recognize Maduro as having won without seeing detailed voting results.
Washington has imposed sanctions on Venezuela since 2005 that target individuals and entities "that have engaged in criminal, antidemocratic, or corrupt actions," according to a Congressional briefing document.
"In response to increasing human rights abuses and corruption by the government of Nicolas Maduro, in power since 2013, the Trump Administration expanded US sanctions to include financial sanctions, sectoral sanctions, and sanctions on the government."
