US To Seize 2nd Venezuelan Plane Held in Dominican Republic for Maintenance

By Staff, Agencies

US President Trump's administration is preparing to seize a Venezuelan plane stationed in the Dominican Republic for maintenance during a visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio planned to announce during his Santo Domingo visit, the last of his Central America tour, over a year after the US seized a Venezuelan aircraft.

The US said that the acquisition of the plane, which it claimed belonged to President Nicolas Maduro, was because of violation of US sanctions.

The Associated Press, citing an unnamed US official familiar with the matter and a State Department document, announced the new seizure on Thursday.

Rubio approved a waiver to allocate $230,000 in foreign aid for the storage and maintenance of a Dassault Falcon 200, with the Department of Justice consenting.

Caracas has not yet commented on the issue, but it denounced the first seizure in September last year as “illegal”, stressing that Washington had “stole” the Venezuelan aircraft.

The US alleges that Maduro and his officials used the aircraft for international travel to Russia, Turkey, Cuba, and Greece, violating Washington's sanctions against Caracas.

Trump's special envoy, Richard Grenell, visited Caracas to negotiate the return of Venezuelan citizens who had illegally entered the US.

Grenell’s trip resulted in the return of six Americans detained in Venezuela.