US seizes second plane owned by Venezuelan government in Dominican Republic, citing evasion of sanctions

An craft utilized by a state-owned Venezuelan natural state institution to evade U.S. sanctions and export power laws for the payment of the authorities of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was seized successful the Dominican Republic Thursday, authorities said. 

The seizure of the Dassault Falcon 2000EX craft utilized by Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), the sanctioned Venezuelan state-owned lipid and natural-gas company, came arsenic Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Caribbean federation for talks with its president. 

"The seizure of this Venezuelan aircraft, utilized for evading U.S. sanctions and wealth laundering, is simply a almighty illustration of our resoluteness to clasp the illegitimate Maduro authorities accountable for its amerciable actions," Rubio wrote connected X. 

"With the Dominican Republic and our determination partners, we volition proceed to counteract immoderate strategy to evade U.S. sanctions."

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, listens to Edwin F. Lopez, the attaché for DHS Homeland Security Investigations, center, adjacent to the Venezuelan authorities airplane that Rubio announced was being seized by the U.S. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The seizure stemmed from a 2019 enforcement bid during President Donald Trump's archetypal word successful bureau successful an effort to prohibit American citizens from engaging successful transactions with anyone who worked for oregon connected behalf of PdVSA. In January 2020, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified 15 craft that fell nether the order. 

PdVSA bought the level from the U.S. successful July 2017 and exported it to Venezuela, wherever it was registered nether process fig YV-3360, the Justice Department said. 

Despite sanctions being levied connected PdVSA, the level was inactive serviced and maintained connected aggregate occasions utilizing parts from the U.S., authorities said. The work included a brake assembly, physics formation displays and formation absorption computers, each successful usurpation of U.S. export power and sanctions laws.

A "seized" motion is placed connected a Venezuelan authorities airplane during a property league wherever U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, announced its seizure astatine La Isabela International Airport successful Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

"The usage of American-made parts to work and support craft operated by sanctioned entities similar PdVSA is intolerable," said Devin DeBacker, caput of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. 

"The Justice Department, on with its national instrumentality enforcement partners, volition proceed to safeguard our nationalist information by identifying, disrupting and dismantling schemes aimed astatine procuring American goods successful usurpation of our sanctions and export power laws." 

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This photograph released by Venezuela's statesmanlike property bureau shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, right, shaking hands with Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump's peculiar envoy, astatine Miraflores statesmanlike palace successful Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 31, 2025. (Venezuela's statesmanlike property office, via AP)

Among its uses, the level was allegedly utilized to instrumentality Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez, who is besides sanctioned, to an OPEC gathering successful the United Arab Emirates and has been utilized to transport elder members of the Maduro regime.

The craft was utilized successful a continuation of the regime’s misappropriation of PdVSA assets, the DOJ said. 

In September, a level owned by Maduro was besides seized successful the Dominican Republic. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) flew the Dassault Falcon 900EX backmost to the United States soon after. 

"Asset forfeiture is simply a almighty instrumentality enforcement tool, which we volition proceed to usage aggressively to deter, disrupt and different combat transgression activity," said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne.

Maduro's level connected a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., tarmac, aft U.S. authorities seized the craft and flew it from the Dominican Republic. That level was seized successful September 2024.   (WFOR)

Maduro began his 3rd six-year word arsenic president past period contempt wide skepticism implicit the legitimacy of his predetermination victory. 

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International and home critics question the fairness of the electoral process. Maduro claimed victory by much than 1 cardinal votes. However, absorption campaigner Edmundo González is wide believed to person won by a landslide.