THE Donald Trump administration in the United States has seized the aircraft on which Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez came to Trinidad and Tobago in March 2020.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally took control of the aircraft last week in the Dominican Republic.
The Dassault Falcon 200 EX with the tail number YV 3360 transported Rodriguez on her secret trip for talks with Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley.
The plane, which was seen as the equivalent of the US Air Force One and was owned by national energy company PDVSA, will be flown to Miami.
Reports are that for several years the Americans had earmarked the plane for seizure.
The seizure is part of a US crackdown on corruption and the illegal flow of money to Venezuela.
The Rowley administration played down the Rodriguez visit, which took place during the Covid-19 pandemic when the national airport was closed and nationals were stranded abroad.
The Government declined to provide details of the visit amid a national controversy.
The flight manifest revealed that Rodriguez travelled with an entourage.
The European Union had previously banned Rodriguez from entering the countries and froze her assets, accusing her of human rights violations and breaches of human rights.
A US official said the plane and a previously seized aircraft will provide “a treasure trove of intelligence.”
He stated: “What is going to be of value as well is the transponders.”
The US authorities now have flight details of Rodriguez’s trip to T&T.
The US Treasury had previously said the aircraft was used to transport senior members of the Maduro regime in connection with illicit smuggling of goods and money laundering.
The United States Embassy in Port of Spain had branded Rodriguez’s visit as a violation of the now-78-year-old Rio Treaty.
Rodriguez is “subject to travel sanctions that are binding on all Rio Treaty parties and Trinidad and Tobago is a party to the treaty,” the embassy said.
The seizure of the aircraft is an indication of deepening tensions between the US and Venezuela’s dictator Nicholas Maduro.
Rowley said last week his Government will hold talks with Washington with respect to the monetisation of the Dragon Gas natural gas field.
The Americans invoked sanctions against Venezuela in the oil and gas sector after accusing Maduro of stealing the July 2024 presidential election.
The US Department of Justice has brought charges against Maduro and 14 of his associates for narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and corruption.
The US recognises opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the election winner.
The Americans are also sending back some 350,000 undocumented migrants who were permitted by the Joe Biden administration to stay for a set period.
There are fears that many of the deportees will eventually settle in T&T, by entering through porous southern borders.
Maduro recently freed six Americans who had been detained for months.
The US authorities have also seized luxury vehicles and other assets that were to be shipped to Caracas.
