US seizes private jet of Venezuela’s Maduro

What happened

The U.S. has seized a luxury jet used by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Justice Department announced yesterday, saying the Dassault Falcon 900EX was purchased by a shell company in violation of U.S. sanctions and smuggled out of the U.S.

Who said what

The plane, “described by officials as Venezuela’s equivalent to Air Force One,” was flown to Florida from the Dominican Republic, where it had been undergoing repairs, CNN said. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the aircraft was “illegally purchased for $13 million” for use by “Maduro and his cronies.” Venezuela’s government said the seizure of Maduro’s jet “cannot be described as anything other than piracy.”

What next?

Maduro’s private jet was one of dozens the U.S. has seized from top Venezuelan leaders either sanctioned or indicted for alleged drug trafficking or corruption. Investigating the “corrupt practices of the Venezuelan government” is a “continued body of work,” Anthony Salisbury, a special agent at Homeland Security Investigations, said to The Associated Press. “Obviously, we are not done yet.” The U.S. will be pursuing forfeiture with the confiscated Falcon, CNN said, so “the Venezuelan government has a chance to petition for it” after the U.S. searches it for evidence.