A second plane associated with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is currently under investigation in the Dominican Republic, a source familiar with the situation disclosed to CNN.
The aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 2000 with registration number YV3360, mirrors another plane recently seized by U.S. authorities and is listed by the U.S. Treasury as a sanctioned asset connected to Maduro.
Both aircrafts were sent to Santo Domingo for maintenance over the past few months, the source confirmed.
The plane seized by U.S. officials earlier this week had been described as Venezuela’s equivalent to Air Force One and had been seen in previous state visits by Maduro globally.
The seizure was executed after U.S. authorities determined that the aircraft’s purchase violated U.S. sanctions and involved other criminal offenses. The plane was flown to Florida on Monday, as confirmed by two U.S. officials.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, “The Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies.”
In response, the Venezuelan government condemned the seizure, labeling it “piracy” in a statement on Monday and accusing the United States of escalating “aggression” towards Maduro’s administration following a disputed presidential election in July.
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader noted that the seized plane was not registered under the Venezuelan government’s name but was instead under “the name of an individual.”
According to the Dominican Republic’s Foreign Minister, Roberto Álvarez, the country’s Attorney General’s Office received an order in May from a national court to “immobilise” the plane at the request of the U.S. authorities. The U.S. requested the immobilisation to search for “evidence and objects linked to fraud activities, smuggling of goods for illicit activities, and money laundering,” Álvarez stated.
The seizure in the Dominican Republic marks a significant escalation in the U.S. investigation into what it perceives as corrupt practices by the Venezuelan government.
“This sends a message all the way up to the top,” a U.S. official told CNN. “Seizing the foreign head of state’s plane is unheard-of for criminal matters. We’re sending a clear message here that no one is above the law, no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions.”
This development came as the U.S. has recently ramped up pressure on the Venezuelan government to release more detailed information regarding its recent presidential election.
There are growing concerns about the legitimacy of Maduro’s declared victory.
Venezuela’s opposition has published more than 80% of the tallies from voting machines nationwide, and preliminary data suggested that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia may have won the vote, according to several experts who spoke to CNN.
