US confiscates aircraft linked to Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro

FORT LAUDERDALE: The United States (US) government seized an aircraft linked to Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro early on Monday.

According to reports, the aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 900EX, is reportedly worth $13 million. It was allegedly acquired illegally through a shell company and then smuggled from the US to Venezuela.

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The US government cited breaches of US sanctions and export regulations as reason to confiscate the millions-dollar-worth aircraft.

The aircraft was confiscated from the Dominican Republic, a country that shares maritime boundary with Venezuela. The plane was then transported to Fort Lauderdale in the state of Florida, US.

The US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the aircraft was used by Nicolas Maduro and his loyalists for foreign travel among other.

The US government also launched an investigation against Nicolas Maduro, which will be led by the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The investigation has so far stated that the aircraft’s acquisition and use directly violated the US laws and international sanctions placed on the Latin American country.

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The joint investigation has so far discovered that the aircraft was mainly used for flights to a Venezuelan military installation.

The aircraft seizure is the latest development in a highly strained relationship between the US and Venezuela.