US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seized a second plane belonging to Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday, following a similar instance in September when a Venezuelan aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic.
The relationship between Caracas and Washington has been tense for decades. The planes, both used by high-level Venezuelan officials, were purchased in 2017 from the US and later sold to PDVSA, the state oil company.
According to US Homeland Security Investigations, the plane was under US sanctions and had been held in Santo Domingo since April 2024. Rubio watched as a warrant was taped on the door of the aircraft.
The seizure follows a long-running investigation into corruption in Venezuela. In September, another Venezuelan plane was seized and flown to Florida. The second plane will be taken to Miami in the coming months.
US officials have sought to disrupt billions of dollars of illicit flow to the regime in Venezuela. Homeland Security Investigations has seized dozens of luxury vehicles and assets heading to Venezuela. Pressure from the US intensified after Maduro’s controversial reelection for a third presidential term in July.
The seized planes are seen as a valuable source of intelligence, including a list of Air Force members’ personally identifiable information, receipts, and flight manifests. The transponders on the aircraft will also allow authorities to gather information previously blocked by pilots in flight.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/06/politics/marco-rubio-dominican-republic-plane-latam-hnk-intl/index.html