WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
On Sept. 2, the Justice Department announced the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft owned and operated for the benefit of Nicolás Maduro Moros and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela. The aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the Southern District of Florida at the request of the United States based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
“This morning (Sept. 2), 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,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “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.”
“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,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce. “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 United States’ seizure of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft illustrates our unrelenting commitment to enforcing U.S. export control laws and imposing U.S. sanctions for any violations,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “This successful seizure was the result of planning, coordination, and execution by the United States government, with invaluable assistance by the authorities in the Dominican Republic. Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work to forfeit this plane and all other assets that circumvent the law.”
“The seizure of this aircraft is another significant action by Homeland Security Investigations working with our domestic and international partners against the illegal activities of the Maduro regime,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “The efforts here highlight HSI’s global reach and our continued commitment to enforce US sanctions and stemming the flow of illicit proceeds being generated from high level foreign public corruption.”
In August 2019, the President issued Executive Order 13884, which prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with persons who have acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of, the Government of Venezuela, including as a member of the Maduro regime. To protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, the Department of Commerce has also imposed export controls for items intended, entirely or in part, for a Venezuelan military or military-intelligence end user.
According to the U.S. investigation, in late 2022 and early 2023, persons affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft (which at the time was valued at approximately $13 million) from a company based in the Southern District of Florida. The aircraft was then illegally exported from the United States to Venezuela through the Caribbean in April 2023. Since May 2023, the Dassault Falcon, bearing tail number T7-ESPRT, has flown almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela and has been used for the benefit of Maduro and his representatives, including to transport Maduro on visits to other countries.
The Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Miami Field Office is investigating the case, along with the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Dorado Task Force Miami.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Paster and Jorge Delgado for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the matter. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and HSI in Santo Domingo provided significant assistance in working with authorities in the Dominican Republic. The United States thanks the Dominican Republic for its assistance in this matter.
The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 9-3-2024 at 12 p.m.
2024 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2024)
- Total Mass Shootings: 441
- Total Dead: 521
- Total Wounded: 1822
- Shootings Per Day: 1.79
- Days Reached in Year 2024 as of September 3: 247
MIDDLE EAST
HOSTAGES FOUND DEAD IN RAFAH
Attempts to procure a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict have hit a huge and tragic roadblock.
On Aug. 31, six of the hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 Attack were found dead in a Rafah tunnel. The victims included Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, Almog Sarusi, 27, and American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23. Israel’s Defense Forces revealed that the deceased had gunshot wounds.
The news comes as Israel agreed to pause aggression while children in Gaza received polio vaccinations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made no public comment as of press time, but Issac Herzog, the President of Israel, said, “In the name of the entire State of Israel, I hold their families in my heart and ask forgiveness. Forgiveness for not being able to return your loved ones home safely.”
Among those reacting to the news was U.S. President Joe Biden.
“I am devastated and outraged. Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a music festival for peace in Israel on October 7. He lost his arm helping friends and strangers during Hamas’ savage massacre. He had just turned 23. He planned to travel the world. I have gotten to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. They have been courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable. They have been relentless and irrepressible champions of their son and of all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions.
“I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express. I know all Americans tonight will have them in their prayers, just as Jill and I will. I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death. It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.”
ASIA
VACCINATION ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
More than 800,000 children and 120,000 pregnant women will be vaccinated in a nationwide campaign launched on Sept. 2 by the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – aka North Korea – with the support of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“This campaign is a major milestone in our drive to vaccinate every child in the DPRK and protect them from common childhood diseases,” said UNICEF’s Acting Representative for the country Roland Kupka.
“This is the first step in restoring routine immunization and closing the gap that has left children vulnerable to preventable diseases,” he added.
Over four million doses of essential vaccines – including Pentavalent, Measles-Rubella (MR), Tetanus-Diphtheria, BCG, Hepatitis B, and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) – were delivered to the DPRK in July to kickstart this comprehensive catch-up effort.
Of these, two million doses will be used in the current catch-up vaccination campaign, while the rest will be sent to health centers nationwide to boost routine immunization programs.
The COVID-19 pandemic marked a major setback in immunization rates in DPRK.
While national rates exceeded 96 per cent before the pandemic, they dropped to below 42 per cent by mid-2021, leaving countless children at risk of deadly diseases such as polio, diphtheria, measles, rubella, and hepatitis.
Between 2021 and 2023, UNICEF supported three previous catch-up vaccination campaigns in the DPRK, reaching a combined total of nearly 1.3 million children who missed essential vaccinations during the pandemic’s peak.
The current vaccination campaign is set to reach children and pregnant women in all 210 counties who missed out on life-saving vaccines since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
Over 7,200 health workers have been trained to manage vaccination campaigns and handle any potential vaccine reactions.
Additionally, UNICEF supplied new freezers, fridges, cold boxes, and temperature taggers to keep vaccines effective in even the most remote areas.
The agency is also supporting the campaign by overseeing vaccine delivery and administration and tracking coverage to ensure its success.
“To sustain progress in restoring pre-pandemic vaccination levels and ensuring every child receives essential, life-saving vaccines, we urge the DPRK government to swiftly allow the return of UNICEF and UN international staff in the country,” remarked Mr. Kupka.
