The U.S. government confiscated a luxury jet used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that officials say was illegally bought through a shell company and snuck out of the United States against sanctions and export control laws. The Justice Department reported on Monday that the Dassault Falcon 900EX was taken in the Dominican Republic and handed over to federal officials in Florida. The plane, valued at $13 million, was purchased in 2022 and 2023 by associates of the Venezuelan leader through a Caribbean-based shell company to hide their purchase from a Florida company. The aircraft was then exported from the U.S. to Venezuela through the Caribbean in April 2023 in an attempt to avoid an executive order prohibiting U.S. individuals from engaging in business with representatives of Maduro’s government. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the plane had been unlawfully taken out of the U.S. for Maduro and his associates’ benefit.
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