Miami, US — U.S. customs officers intercepted a Venezuela-bound private jet in south Florida loaded with 82 firearms, including a sniper rifle, plus 63,000 rounds of ammunition, U.S. authorities said Tuesday.
Two
Venezuelan pilots — Luis Alberto Patino and Gregori Mendez — were arrested
Saturday and charged with smuggling bulk cash and goods from the U.S. and
illegally possessing firearms as aliens, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
said in a news release. The plane and its cargo were seized, the statement
said.
It was
not clear why the weapons were purchased. But the arrest comes as tensions
between the U.S. and Venezuela have escalated in recent months, including
allegations that opponents of President Nicolás Maduro had been seeking the
support of a former U.S. Green Beret to violently overthrow the socialist
leader.
The
Venezuelan-registered Lear jet listed as its destination the Caribbean island
of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the U.S. statement said.
But
Jared Rine, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said in an
affidavit supporting the criminal complaint that one of the defendants said
after being arrested that the aircraft’s ultimate destination was Venezuela.
“From my
training and experience, I know that pilots have filed flight plans to third
party countries to avoid detection of their ultimate destinations to avoid
scrutiny of law enforcement authorities,” Rine wrote.
Venezuelan-registered
aircraft and Venezuelan pilots have come under intense scrutiny of late for
smuggling gold, cocaine and other goods as the Trump administration has
intensified efforts to isolate Maduro’s government. As part of those efforts,
all U.S.-registered aircraft are banned from flying to Venezuela.
The U.S.
statement said customs agents were alerted about a suspicious aircraft movement
at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
According
to Rine’s affidavit, the aircraft was referred for a customs inspection shortly
before its scheduled takeoff Saturday afternoon. When agents arrived, they
found a ground crew removing some 50 boxes from the aircraft, it said.
“CBP
officers observed that the aircraft was fully loaded, from the cockpit back to
the lavatory, with cases and boxes of weapons, ammunition and household goods,”
Rine said.
The CBP
statement said a total of 82 firearms, including a Barrett .50 caliber sniper
rifle and 18 rifles, plus 63,000 rounds of ammunition, were found. A firearm
suppressor was also found as well as body armor, it said. The men were also
transporting undeclared cash and endorsed checks worth over $20,000, CBP said.
Patino
told agents that he and the co-pilot purchased the weapons on the internet and
from retail shops in Florida while renting an apartment for the past three
months in the nearby town of Coral Spring, CBP said.
The two
men are also listed as managers of a Florida-registered company, PM Global
Services LLC, created in June for the purpose of “any and all lawful business,”
according to corporate records. Mendez is also affiliated with four additional
Florida-registered companies.
A public
defender assigned to represent Patino did not immediately respond to an email
requesting comment. There was no listed attorney for Mendez.
***Joshua
Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman