Govt Tracks, Seizes, and Moves to Forfeit Maduro-Regime Aircraft

The United States has taken another step in enforcing sanctions against Nicolas Maduro and his regime by filing a civil forfeiture complaint against a Dassault Falcon 900 EX. The aircraft, smuggled out of the US under false pretenses and used by Maduro himself, was picked up in the Dominican Republic last year.

The government now seeks to claim it permanently, citing violations of US sanctions and export control laws. It referenced President Trump’s 2019 executive order, which added to a national emergency declared in 2015 and was issued “in light of the continued usurpation of power by Nicolas Maduro and persons affiliated with him, as well as human rights abuses.”

The Dassault Falcon 900 EX was originally purchased from a Florida-based company for $13.25 million through a mysterious offshore entity supposedly based in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This company, which conveniently ceased to exist two years after its creation, was little more than a front. The real buyer? A Venezuelan national with close ties to the Maduro regime who took careful steps to hide that fact.

Payments flowed in from multiple countries, including Malaysia, through various bank accounts. Emails from this ‘Caribbean’ company were sent from an address in the United Arab Emirates, ironically with Spanish signatures and names.

The aircraft took a quick detour to St. Vincent before heading straight to Caracas, piloted by members of the Venezuelan Presidential Honor Guard. Since May 2023, the jet has been busy—making at least 21 trips to and from Venezuela, even carrying Maduro on official visits. One of its more notable appearances was in December 2023, when it was used for a prisoner exchange with the United States.

When the aircraft arrived in the Dominican Republic for maintenance in March 2024, the shell company pretended to be its legitimate owner and omitted its connection to the Venezuelan government. By May 2024, Venezuelan officials made repeated attempts to retrieve the jet.

That didn’t work. Instead, the US obtained a seizure warrant and had it back on US soil by September 2024. In a moment of weakness, the Maduro regime acknowledged that the Falcon 900 had indeed been used by its leader.

This isn’t the only aircraft caught in the crackdown. Another Dassault Falcon, linked to the Venezuelan state-run oil company PdVSA, was also seized in February 2025 for illegal maintenance in violation of US sanctions.

FMI: www.justice.gov