US authorities have seized a Dassault Falcon 900EX which is alleged to have been operated for the benefit of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, in violation of US export control and sanction laws.
The aircraft – registered T7-ESPRT – was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to Florida, says the US Department of Justice.
US attorney general Merrick Garland claims the aircraft was “illegally purchased” through a shell company and “smuggled” out of the USA for Maduro’s use.
The seizure follows a prohibition issued in 2019, during the Trump administration, which prohibits US persons engaging in transactions with those affiliated with the Venezuelan government.
US investigations over 2022-23 allege that individuals associated with Maduro used a Caribbean-based shell company to “conceal their involvement” in the purchase of the aircraft – valued at around $13 million – from a Florida-based firm.
The Department of Justice claims the aircraft was “illegally exported” to Venezuela, via the Caribbean, in April last year.
It has since flown “almost exclusively” to and from a military base in Venezuela, and been used for the benefit of Maduro and his representatives.
“Let this seizure send a clear message,” says Department of Commerce assistant secretary for export enforcement Matthew Axelrod.
“Aircraft illegally acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset.
“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.”
The Falcon, which carries a San Marino registration, was originally delivered to a customer under a US registration in 1997, and subsequently passed through a number of operators.
Earlier this year the US government recovered a Boeing 747-300M freighter alleged to have been used by Venezuelan carrier Emtrasur in violation of US export control laws. The aircraft had been impounded in the Argentinean capital Buenos Aires for nearly two years.
