Caracas Chronicles

The luxurious Dassault Falcon 2000 EX jet, identified with tail number YV3360 and seized this Thursday by Donald Trump’s administration, was assigned to Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) and was used to transport officials from Nicolás Maduro’s government, as well as relatives and friends of ministers and other Venezuelan government authorities.

According to information obtained by La Hora Venezuela, officials and their relatives used this aircraft to travel to destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Aruba, Curaçao, Brazil, Barbados, Antigua, Portugal, Cape Verde, and the U.S. between 2017 and March 2020.

A source in the aviation sector confirmed that each flight hour of this aircraft model costs $20,000. Its pilots were on PDVSA’s payroll.

Among the aircraft’s frequent flyers were siblings Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez; the latter’s son, Juan Pedro Rodríguez Pedroso; Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López; congressman and former PDVSA president Manuel Quevedo and his wife María del Pilar Araujo de Quevedo; Elías Jaua; Jorge Arreaza; María Gabriela Chávez; Marleny Contreras de Cabello, Daniela Cabello, and Tito Cabello Contreras, among others. A sanctioned plane for sanctioned last names.

Almost a Year Since It Left Maiquetía

The aircraft had been detained in the Dominican Republic for almost a year after unsuccessful negotiations between Maduro and Biden representatives for its recovery.

The seizure was ordered by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who publicly announced the measure during his official visit to Santo Domingo, the last stop on his first international tour in the region after taking office.

The story of the “Vice President’s luxury jet,” as it is known in Venezuela’s aviation circles, would have reached its one-year mark in the Dominican Republic in March.

Other sources familiar with aviation relations between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic indicated that negotiations were underway for the aircraft’s “release.” These talks ultimately failed, especially when parts of the aircraft were dismantled in search of drugs.

According to sources linked to the Venezuelan National Institute of Civil Aviation (INAC), the aircraft’s last recorded departure was in March 2024 from Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía. At that time, it was reported to be heading to the Caribbean island for maintenance with the company AMS – Aircraft Maintenance Solutions.

“Dominican authorities showed interest in the aircraft because its registration was on a list of assets sanctioned by the United States. The Vice President’s office was confident that, as in previous occasions, their connections would allow them to conduct maintenance and return the plane to Venezuela, but that did not happen,” said an INAC official who requested anonymity.

Other sources familiar with aviation relations between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic indicated that negotiations were underway for the aircraft’s “release.” These talks ultimately failed, especially when parts of the aircraft were dismantled in search of drugs.

Sanctioned but Not Grounded

The Dassault Falcon 2000 EX was manufactured by a French company and registered in Venezuela in January 2003. At the time, the estimated transaction cost was $15 million.

Although specialized websites list the owner only as “a private company,” the aircraft is widely recognized in aviation circles as being assigned to or owned by PDVSA.

In the official hangars of Maiquetía, it is said that the jet was used by Francisco Quevedo and Tareck El Aissami when both held the position of Minister of Petroleum in Venezuela. It later became the preferred aircraft of the Vice Presidency, used exclusively by siblings Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez and their close family.

Although the jet is among fifteen aircraft identified as sanctioned property by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department under Executive Order 13884, issued on January 21, 2020, its operations were not halted until it was seized in Santo Domingo in 2024.

Before being blocked by OFAC, between 2017 and 2020, its preferred destinations included Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, and the United States, along with other exotic locations such as Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, and Grenada.