The United States has seized a Venezuelan government aircraft in the Dominican Republic, marking the second such confiscation in less than a year. The move comes despite recent diplomatic interactions with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s administration.
The seizure was carried out during a visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Dominican Republic. At a military airstrip in Santo Domingo, a Dominican prosecutor and a US law enforcement official placed a “Seized” sign on the Dassault Falcon 200 jet, which bore a Venezuelan flag.
US Sanctions and Aircraft Seizure
The Dominican Republic had detained the aircraft last year after US authorities accused it of violating unilateral sanctions imposed on Venezuela. According to the US State Department, the jet had been used for official Venezuelan government travel to countries such as Greece, Turkey, Russia, Nicaragua, and Cuba. It was reportedly in the Dominican Republic for maintenance at the time of its seizure.
The US Treasury Department also stated that the plane had been used by Venezuela’s oil minister to attend a 2019 OPEC meeting in the United Arab Emirates.
Previous Seizure and US Policy on Venezuela
This marks the second time the US has seized a Venezuelan aircraft in the Dominican Republic. In September, Washington confiscated another Venezuelan government jet that had been used to transport Maduro on international trips.
While former US President Donald Trump took a hardline stance against Maduro and sought to remove him from power, the US has recently engaged in limited diplomatic interactions with the Venezuelan leader. Last week, Richard Grenell, a Trump envoy, traveled to Caracas and secured the release of six US prisoners.
Despite this engagement, US officials, including Rubio, have maintained that there is no shift in Washington’s position regarding Maduro’s legitimacy as Venezuela’s president.
The latest seizure underscores the US’s continued enforcement of sanctions against Venezuela, even as diplomatic efforts remain in progress.
Sources By Agencies
