SANTO DOMINGO — The United States has seized a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flown it from the Dominican Republic to Florida after determining that its purchase violated U.S. sanctions, the U.S. Justice Department said today.
The seizure of the aircraft came amid continuing pressure on Maduro at home and abroad over a contested July 28 election that he claimed to have won, while the opposition said its vote tallies showed its candidate to have soundly defeated him.
Maduro, his associates and the OPEC member-state’s vital oil sector are under heavy U.S. sanctions, and his handling of the election has raised the prospects that further measures could be imposed.
“This morning, 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,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
U.S. officials said the seizure, which was first reported by CNN, was made working closely with the Dominican Republic.
The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
By REUTERS
Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Jasper Ward, editing by Ross Colvin
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