The Trump administration is planning to seize a second plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government, which is currently in the Dominican Republic. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to announce the seizure during his visit to Santo Domingo, the last stop of his five-country tour of Central America. The U.S. official and a State Department document obtained by The Associated Press confirm this plan.
To carry out the seizure, Rubio approved a waiver for a foreign aid freeze request to pay more than $230,000 in storage and maintenance fees. The request was submitted earlier in the week and was approved by the Department of Justice. Rubio will make the announcement at a “law enforcement engagement,” as described by the State Department.
The plane being seized is a Dassault Falcon 200, which has been used by Maduro and his top aides, including his vice president and defense minister. They’ve used it to travel to countries like Greece, Turkey, Russia, and Cuba. The U.S. government claims that these travels violated U.S. sanctions.
This move comes just one week after President Donald Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell, visited Caracas to meet with Maduro. Grenell discussed bringing back Venezuelan nationals who had illegally entered the United States. He returned with six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela.
Earlier, in September 2024, the U.S. also seized another of Maduro’s planes from the Dominican Republic. The Justice Department said that Maduro’s associates used a Caribbean-based shell company to hide their involvement in purchasing the plane, a Dassault Falcon 900EX valued at $13 million.
In another development, Rubio’s visit to Panama led to an agreement allowing U.S. warships to pass through the Panama Canal without charge. This move comes after President Donald Trump had previously complained about the fees charged for U.S. government vessels. The deal is expected to save the U.S. millions of dollars each year. The agreement was finalized during Rubio’s stop in Panama, where he discussed the importance of limiting Chinese influence in the region.
