USA confiscates plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

The United States seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's plane after determining that the acquisition of the aircraft violated U.S. sanctions, among other things. Two U.S. officials said the U.S. flew the plane to Florida on Monday.

It is the latest development in the long-frosty relationship between the United States and Venezuela, and the seizure of the explosives in the Dominican Republic marks an escalation as the United States continues its investigation into what it sees as corrupt practices by the Venezuelan government.

The aircraft has been described by officials as Venezuela's equivalent of Air Force One and has been seen on previous state visits by Maduro around the world.

“This sends a message all the way to the top,” one of the U.S. officials told CNN. “The seizure of a foreign head of state's aircraft is unheard of in criminal matters. We are sending a clear message here that no one is above the law, no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions.”

CNN has contacted the Venezuelan government, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the State Department for comment.

The situation in Venezuela is having an impact on U.S. policy as millions of people flee the country, many of them choosing to emigrate across the U.S.-Mexico border.

For years, US authorities have been trying to stop billions of dollars from flowing to the regime. Homeland Security Investigations – the federal government's second-largest investigative agency – has, among other things, confiscated dozens of luxury cars that were destined for Venezuela.

The plane – a Dassault Falcon 900 estimated to be worth around $13 million, according to flight records – had been in the Dominican Republic for the past few months. U.S. authorities did not disclose the reason, but it presented an opportunity for U.S. authorities to seize the plane.

Several federal agencies were involved in the seizure, including Homeland Security Investigations, Trade Agents, the Bureau of Industry and Security, and the Department of Justice.

According to a U.S. official, U.S. officials worked closely with the Dominican Republic, which notified Venezuela of the seizure.

The next steps after arrival in the United States include seizing the cargo and securing evidence from the aircraft, which means the Venezuelan government has the opportunity to make a request to do so.

The United States recently put pressure on the Venezuelan government to “immediately” publish concrete data on the presidential elections because it doubted the credibility of the victory of strongman Maduro.

Earlier this year, the US reimposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector in response to the Maduro government’s failure to allow “inclusive and competitive elections.”

Following Maduro's controversial re-election on July 28, Venezuela suspended commercial flights to and from the Dominican Republic.

Federal agencies, including HSI, have long pursued the Venezuelan government on corruption allegations. In recent years, HSI has misappropriated $2 billion in illegal proceeds or resources from the Venezuelan government, including judgments, seizures and the liquidation of bank accounts, one of the U.S. officials said.

In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Maduro and 14 current and former Venezuelan officials on charges of narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption.

“For more than 20 years, Maduro and a number of high-ranking colleagues are said to have conspired with [Colombian left-wing guerrilla] “The FARC was arrested and imprisoned, allowing tons of cocaine to enter and devastate American communities,” then-Attorney General William Barr said at the time.

The U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Drug and Law Enforcement Affairs is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest or conviction.

In 2017, two nephews of Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, were sentenced to 18 years in prison by a federal court in New York City for attempting to smuggle up to 800 kilograms of cocaine into the United States on a private jet; the two were later released by the United States in a prisoner exchange in 2022.

“We're seeing these officials and the Maduro regime basically exploiting the Venezuelan people for their own benefit,” the U.S. official said. “You have people there who can't even afford a loaf of bread, and then the president of Venezuela is flying around in a luxury private jet.”

Poor economic conditions, food shortages and limited access to health care have forced more than 7.7 million people to flee Venezuela, the largest wave of displacement in the Western Hemisphere.

CNN's Denise Royal and Stefano Pozzebon contributed reporting.