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By Matt Spetalnick and Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States has seized a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flown it from the Dominican Republic to Florida after determining that its purchase violated U.S. sanctions, the U.S. Justice Department said on Monday.
The seizure of the aircraft came amid continuing pressure on Maduro at home and abroad over a contested July 28 election that he claims to have won, while the opposition says its copies of vote tallies show its candidate to be the victor.
The Venezuelan government, which confirmed Maduro had used the plane, said in an afternoon statement the seizure was "nothing but piracy", illegal and a "repeated criminal practice" by the United States.
The was also visible in December images of the homecoming of Alex Saab, a businessman who was granted clemency on a U.S. money laundering charge and returned to Venezuela as part of prisoner swap.
Maduro, his associates and the OPEC member-state's vital oil sector are under heavy U.S. sanctions, and his handling of the election has raised the prospect that further measures could be imposed.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the U.S. "for use by Nicolas Maduro and his cronies."
"Let this seizure send a clear message: aircraft illegally acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset," said Matthew Axelrod, the U.S. Commerce Department's assistant secretary for export enforcement.
U.S. officials said the seizure, which was first reported by CNN, was carried out working closely with the Dominican Republic.
"This is an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences from his misgovernance of Venezuela," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.
Many Western countries have questioned the fairness of the election, with the U.S. congratulating opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez for winning the most votes.
Maduro and his ruling party allies have said other countries should not interfere in Venezuelan elections, citing recent election scandals in the United States and Brazil as evidence of what they say is Western hypocrisy.
A Justice Department investigation showed that in late 2022 and early 2023 "persons affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft."
The plane was then illegally exported from the United States to Venezuela through the Caribbean last year and since then has flown to and from a Venezuelan military base and been used "for the benefit of Maduro and his representatives, including to transport Maduro on visits to other countries," the Justice Department said.
(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Jasper Ward in Washington, additional reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas; editing by Ross Colvin, Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman)
