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'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER – The United States Government has seized an aircraft belonging to Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro.
A statement by the US Department of Justice, said the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft, owned and operated for the benefit of Maduro and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela, was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to Fort Lauderdale, at the request of the United States based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
In the statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland alleges the plane 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.
“Let this seizure send a clear message: aircraft illegally acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset.
“It doesn’t matter how fancy the private jet or how powerful the officials – we will work relentlessly with our partners here and across the globe to identify and return any aircraft illegally smuggled outside of the United States”, said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce in the statement.
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