Multiple U.S. federal agencies cooperated to seize a plane belonging to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in the Dominican Republic and bring it to Florida on Monday after it was determined that Maduro having the plane violated sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Venezuela.

The plane was obtained for $13 million using a straw company, but was considered Venezuela's Air Force One and used by Maduro to make state visits overseas.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Commerce joined forces to seize the plane, a Dassault Falcon 900-EX, bought from a U.S. company based in Florida.

"This morning, the Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "The Department will continue to pursue those who violate our sanctions and export controls to prevent them from using American resources to undermine the national security of the United States."

Clear message

The Department of Commerce chimed in on the joint action.

"Let this seizure send a clear message: aircraft illegally acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset," Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod, of the Department of Commerce, added.  "It doesn’t matter how fancy the private jet or how powerful the officials – we will work relentlessly with our partners here and across the globe to identify and return any aircraft illegally smuggled outside of the United States."

The move may further sour relations between the U.S. and Venezuela.

Last month, the U.S. made it clear that its official position was that Maduro's rival, Edmundo González, actually won the presidential election even though Maduro was declared the winner officially, with 51% of the vote.

Gonzalez's opposition party has released detailed internal polling that shows he got nearly twice as many votes as Maduro, and Maduro's party has not refuted them or provided its own detailed data.

Arresting the opposition

A judge in Venezuela issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez on Monday in a move the opposition party says shows Maduro's weakness.

“Maduro has lost all touch with reality. The arrest warrant issued by the regime to threaten President-Elect Edmundo Gonzalez crosses a new line that only strengthens the resolve of our movement,” opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said in a post on X.

Ex-diplomat Gonzalez and Machado have been in hiding since the election.

The sanctions on Venezuela are in response to reports of human rights abuses by Maduro's government, which has been in power since 2013.

While many of the sanctions are financial in nature, some also include visa restrictions and others related to terrorism.