The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that authorities in the Dominican Republic, at the request of the U.S. government, have seized a Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft owned by Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), Venezuela’s state-owned oil and natural gas company. The aircraft was allegedly maintained and serviced using U.S.-made parts in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
The seizure underscores the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to enforce sanctions against the Venezuelan regime and prevent the illicit use of American goods and technology.
The Dassault Falcon 2000EX, registered under tail number YV-3360, was used to transport senior members of the Venezuelan government, including sanctioned officials, in violation of U.S. laws.
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According to the Justice Department, the aircraft was purchased by PdVSA in July 2017 and exported to Venezuela. Following the imposition of sanctions on PdVSA in 2019 under Executive Order 13884, the aircraft was identified as blocked property, prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in transactions involving the aircraft.
Despite these sanctions, the Dassault Falcon 2000EX was serviced and maintained multiple times using U.S.-made parts, including a brake assembly, electronic flight displays, and flight management computers. These actions violated U.S. export control and sanctions laws, which prohibit the provision of goods, services, or technology to sanctioned entities.
“The use of American-made parts to service and maintain aircraft operated by sanctioned entities like PdVSA is intolerable,” said Devin DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department, along with its federal law enforcement partners, will continue to safeguard our national security by identifying, disrupting, and dismantling schemes aimed at procuring American goods in violation of our sanctions and export control laws.”
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This is not the first time U.S. authorities have targeted aircraft linked to the Venezuelan regime. In September 2024, a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft owned and operated for the benefit of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his associates was seized in the Dominican Republic.
The Dassault Falcon 2000EX has been used to transport high-ranking Venezuelan officials, including Oil Minister Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez, who is also under U.S. sanctions. According to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the aircraft was used to transport Quevedo to an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in the United Arab Emirates and has facilitated the Maduro regime’s misappropriation of PdVSA assets.
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The seizure was made possible through close collaboration between U.S. authorities and the Dominican Republic. Edwin F. Lopez, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Santo Domingo Country Attaché, praised the partnership, stating, “This seizure demonstrates HSI’s unwavering commitment to enforcing U.S. export control and sanctions laws around the globe. By working closely with our partners in the Dominican Republic and across the U.S. government, we successfully prevented the violation of U.S. laws designed to protect national security and foreign policy interests.”
Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Kevin J. Kurland of the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) emphasized the significance of the seizure, stating, “Today’s announcement — the seizure of a sanctioned aircraft used by the Maduro regime — clearly shows that sanctions and export control laws have teeth. BIS will continue to aggressively investigate and hold accountable those who violate our regulations.”
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