Janice R. Andrews
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the US Department of Justice had taken back a Dassault Falcon 900EX plane that was being used by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This was a very bold move. It is said that the $13 million plane was bought illegally and then moved out of the US through a fake business.
Breach of US sanctions
Garland made it clear that the arrest of the plane is part of a larger effort to stop people from using American resources to hurt national security. Garland said, “The Department will continue to go after people who break our sanctions and export controls,” which shows how important the case is.
A message for Caracas
The Department of Commerce’s Matthew S. Axelrod agreed, saying, “Let this seizure send a clear message: planes bought illegally from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset.”
Maduro’s private jet
The plane that was taken was said to be Venezuela’s version of Air Force One, and Maduro often took it on foreign trips. CNN says the plane was taken in the Dominican Republic and then sent to Miami, Florida. This is the latest in a string of bad events between the US and Venezuela.
Significance in symbols
One US government source told CNN, “This action against a foreign head of state’s plane is unprecedented in criminal matters.” This suggests that the action is meant to make US sanctions even stronger.
Maduro is becoming more and more alone.
The arrest adds to the pressure on Maduro from both inside and outside of Venezuela. The president of Venezuela says he won the election on July 28, but there is still resistance to him. Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the opposition, and her followers say that Edmundo González should have won. This makes Maduro’s authority even less certain on the world stage.
This new event is yet another hit to Maduro, and it may mean that he is becoming more and more alone as international sanctions continue.
