A second plane linked to the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is being held in the Dominican Republic at the request of US authorities.
The Dassault Falcon 200EX with capacity for 10 passengers is parked at the Dr. Joaquín Balaguer International Airport in Santo Domingo and under 24-hour surveillance, a government source told Diario Libre.
On Monday, a Dassault Falcon 900 EX, nicknamed the “Venezuelan Air Force One,” was seized by U.S. federal agencies and flown to Florida after its purchase was found to violate sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The Justice Department alleges that the first plane was “owned and operated” to benefit Maduro and his regime’s allies in the South American country.
It is unknown how long the aircraft was in the Dominican Republic.
A Dassault Falcon 200EX linked to the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been ordered detained in the Dominican Republic following a request from US federal authorities.
Homeland Security Investigations are looking into a luxury jet Monday at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport after it flew from the Dominican Republic, where it was seized. The aircraft is linked to the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and was purchased through a shell company based in the Caribbean.
The Dassault Falcon 900EX was purchased from a Florida company between 2022 and 2023 by people linked to Maduro who had set up a shell company in the Caribbean.
The aircraft was illegally exported from the United States to Venezuela via the Caribbean in April 2023.
Alex Saab (second from right), an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, flew on the Dassault Falcon 900EX in December 2023 when he returned to Venezuela after being exchanged for 10 Americans who were imprisoned in the South American nation.
Investigators discovered that the aircraft was flying to and from a military base in Venezuela and had been used to benefit Maduro and his inner circle.
Maduro has used the jet to travel to other countries.
The detention of the second plane in the Dominican Republic came on the same day it was revealed that a US Navy sailor was arrested in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, CNN reported.
The soldier, whose name has not been revealed, is being held by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, an official said.
A defense official told CNN the sailor’s arrest took place “while he was on a personal trip to Venezuela.”
Another official added that the soldier was not on approved leave and it was unclear why he was visiting the South American country.
Spokesman Matt Miller said the State Department was monitoring the situation but declined to comment further.