- The plane was brought to Florida on Monday
The US has seized the plane of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and taken it to Florida.
Multiple federal agencies involved in the seizure determined that the acquisition of Maduro’s aircraft violated U.S. sanctions, two US officials told CNN.
The plane, described by officials as Venezuela’s Air Force One, was seized in the Dominican Republic and brought to the U.S. on Monday, marking the latest escalation within Maduro’s regime.
“This is a signal that goes all the way to the top,” one of the officials told CNN.
Multiple federal agencies involved in the seizure of the foreign leader’s plane have determined that the acquisition violated U.S. sanctions, a new report says
“Seizing the aircraft of a foreign head of state is unheard of for criminal purposes,” they added. “We are sending a clear message that no one is above the law, no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions.”
Maduro’s plane is estimated to be worth around $13 million and has been photographed during his state visits around the world.
The exact reason why the plane was taken has not been disclosed, but US authorities believe the plane’s presence in the Dominican Republic in recent months prompted its seizure.
The seizure of the aircraft involved Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Justice, as well as agents from the Bureau of Industry and Security.
The Dominican Republic has notified Venezuela of the seizures, a U.S. official said.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s plane was seized by the United States in the Dominican Republic on Monday and taken to Florida
The plane was dubbed ‘Venezuela’s Air Force One’ and was often pictured with Maduro during his state visits to other countries
Now that the plane has landed in the US, the Venezuelan government has the opportunity to request forfeiture of the aircraft and file a petition for its seizure.
The seizure follows Maduro’s controversial re-election on July 28.
The US pressured the Central American country to release election data “immediately” amid concerns about the credibility of Maduro’s victory.
After he was re-elected last month, Venezuela suspended all commercial flights to and from the Dominican Republic.
The US has resumed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector over the Maduro regime’s blocking of “inclusive and competitive elections.”
