us Homeland Security confirms that it sees Venezuelan president Nicholas maduro's plane now in a statement attorney general Meritt Garland alleges the plane was quote illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicholas Maduro now this comes just out over a month after the disputed election in Venezuela you may remember this so protests ensued after Maduro declared himself the winner in a bold move signaling increased tensions between the US and Venezuela the US government announced today that it has seized a plane frequently used by Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro the aircraft which had landed in an undisclosed Caribbean location was confiscated as part of escalating sanctions aimed at curbing maduro's regime according to a statement from the US Department of the treasury the plane a high-end jet was allegedly purchased through illicit means tied to corruption and money laundering this action demonstrates our unwavering commitment to targeting those who engage in corruption human rights abuses and the destabilization of Venezuela's Democratic institutions said a spokesperson for the treasury Department the seizure comes as relations between the two Nations continue to deteriorate the US has long accused the Maduro government of human rights violations election fraud and the oppression of political opposition over the years the US has imposed a series of sanctions on Venezuelan officials and entities but this latest move marks a significant escalation in pressure on Maduro personally the seizure of the jet is seen as a direct challenge to maduro's Authority as the aircraft was frequently used for international diplomatic trips analysts believe this could disrupt ongoing efforts by Venezuela to strengthen ties with sympathetic governments including Russia China and Iran this is more than a symbolic act said Dr Carla Dominguez an expert in Latin American politics at Georgetown University by targeting maduro's access to International diplomacy the US is tightening the Noose around his regime this could have a ripple effect on his administration's ability to Garner support from Key International allies Venezuelan officials condemn the action as an act of piracy and imperialist aggression in a televised address president Maduro called the seizure A desperate attempt by the US government to undermine Venezuela's sovereignty he went on to accuse Washington of orchestrating a campaign to destabilize his government this is a blatant violation of international law Maduro declared the US cannot dictate who we Ally with or how we travel our government will continue to fight for our independence and sovereignty against foreign intervention while many Western Nations have stood behind us actions in Venezuela there are concerns this latest move could further inflame tensions in the region Russian and Chinese officials both close allies of Venezuela have already expressed the their opposition with Moscow calling the seizure provocative and Beijing warning of unintended consequences Latin American leaders have largely been divided on the issue with countries like Colombia supporting us measures and others such as Cuba and Bolivia condemning them as the situation develops all eyes will be on how Venezuela retaliates and how this seizure impacts diplomatic efforts to resolve the political crisis in the country negotiation between maduro's government and opposition forces have been stalled for months and this recent action May either force a breakthrough or lead to further deterioration of the situation the US government has hinted at further actions against Maduro and his inner circle if there is no progress in democratizing Venezuela leaving the world wondering what the next move will be in this longstanding geopolitical standoff thanks for watching please kindly let us know your thoughts regarding this in the comment section and do do not forget to subscribe to our Channel