Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro waves a sword as his new cabinet takes the oath of office at the presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, August 28.

Ariana Cubillos/AP

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Ariana Cubillos/AP

The United States has seized a plane belonging to hardline President Nicolás Maduro in the Dominican Republic, the Justice Department said on Monday.

The Justice Department alleges that the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft was purchased from a Florida company for about $13 million by individuals close to Maduro. The individuals used a shell company in the Caribbean to smuggle the aircraft out of the United States for use by Maduro and his allies, violating U.S. sanctions and export controls.

The Justice Department said it worked with the Dominican Republic to seize the plane and bring it to Florida.

The United States has imposed numerous sanctions on Venezuelan companies and individuals, including Maduro, for alleged corruption and human rights violations.

The seizure of the aircraft came just over a month after the controversial presidential election in Venezuela, in which both Maduro and the main opposition declared victory.

In a speech on August 1, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was “overwhelming evidence” that opposition candidate “Edmundo González Urrutia won the majority of votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.”

Last week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Maduro would remain the de facto president of the South American country, but the EU rejected the legitimacy of his claim to re-election.