The US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently confirmed the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX Aircraft allegedly linked to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his inner circle, a move that has been described as “blatant piracy” by South American country’s foreign minister Ivan Gil Pinto. According to Washington, the aircraft was purchased illegally for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States. It was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to Florida at the request of US authorities due to violations of export control and sanctions laws.
The DOJ claimed that the plane was bought through a Caribbean-based company and delivered to Venezuela in April 2023, since which time it has been used by the Maduro government for various purposes including transporting the Venezuelan leader himself to other countries. Gil Pinto denounced the confiscation as “a repeated criminal practice that cannot be described as anything other than piracy.” He added that Washington had “illegally confiscated an aircraft that has been used by the president of the republic, justifying themselves with the coercive measures that they unilaterally and illegally impose around the world.
Maduro’s government also warned that it “reserves the right to take any legal action to repair this damage to the nation, as well as all other damages caused by the criminal policy” of Washington. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez joined the backlash, condemning what he called “the illegal and fraudulent confiscation” of Maduro’s plane and accusing the US of violating international law.
The relationship between the US and Venezuela has been strained for some time, with Washington consistently supporting regime change in the Latin American country. In 2019, the US recognized Juan Guaido, the then-head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, as the legitimate interim president of the country while backing the opposition. The tensions have also led to economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela in an effort to pressure the country, including prohibiting US companies from doing business with anyone associated with the Venezuelan government.