By Steve Neavling
The U.S. government has confiscated a luxury jet linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, alleging that the aircraft was illicitly acquired through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States in violation of sanctions and export control regulations.
The Dassault Falcon 900EX was seized in the Dominican Republic and subsequently handed over to federal officials in Florida, according to the Justice Department on Monday. The plane touched down at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport just before noon, as confirmed by flight tracking data.
U.S. authorities claim that associates of Maduro, in late 2022 and early 2023, utilized a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the $13 million purchase of the jet from a Florida-based seller. The aircraft was then secretly exported to Venezuela via the Caribbean in April 2023, in an effort to evade an executive order prohibiting U.S. entities from conducting business with representatives of Maduro’s regime.
The aircraft, registered in San Marino, was frequently used by Nicolás Maduro for international travel, including trips to Guyana and Cuba earlier this year. It also played a key role in a December exchange on a Caribbean airstrip, where several Americans held in Venezuela were swapped for Alex Saab, a close Maduro associate who was jailed in the U.S. on money laundering charges.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the jet had been illicitly moved out of the U.S. to facilitate travel for “Maduro and his cronies.”
“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,” Garland said.
Officials said the seizure is a reminder that the U.S. won’t tolerate crimes, no matter how powerful the suspect is.
“Let this seizure send a clear message: aircraft illegally acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset,” Matthew S. Axelrod, assistant secretary for Export Enforcement of the Department of Commerce, said. “It doesn’t matter how fancy the private jet or how powerful the officials – we will work relentlessly with our partners here and across the globe to identify and return any aircraft illegally smuggled outside of the United States.”
