**Washington Announces Seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s Plane**
On Monday, the United States announced that it had seized a plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in the Dominican Republic and transported it to Florida, indicating that it had been purchased in violation of U.S. sanctions.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated in a press release: “The Justice Department has seized a plane that was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his associates.”
The statement noted that the aircraft is a Dassault Falcon 900EX.
The seizure of the plane comes amid ongoing pressure on Maduro both domestically and internationally over the disputed July 28 elections, which he claimed to have won, while the opposition asserts that its vote count shows their candidate decisively defeated him.
Maduro, his associates, and the vital oil sector of the OPEC member state are subject to severe U.S. sanctions, and his handling of the elections has raised the possibility of additional sanctions.
U.S. officials reported that the seizure operation, first reported by CNN, was conducted in close cooperation with the Dominican Republic.
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By/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚