Whatever Happened to that Plane? U.S. Unilateral Sanctions & the Saga of Venezuela's Emtrasur Cargo 747

EPISODE:   Whatever Happened to that
Plane? U.S. Unilateral Sanctions and the Saga of Venezuela’s
Emtrasur Cargo 747


GUEST: Orlenys Ortiz, citizen journalist
joining us from Venezuela


TRANSLATION: Carmelo Valasquez, Velasquez
Translations, Buenos Aires, Argentina


BACKGROUND:


On May 3, 2023, the Argentinian press reported a US prosecutor
requested the US Justice Department to order the definitive
execution of the seizure order of Emtrasur’s Boeing 747-300.
(Empresa de Transporte Aerocargo del Sur). The plane arrived in
Argentina in June 2022 in what was supposedly a routine cargo
flight. Nonetheless, the aircraft, its cargo, and its crew
quickly raised the alarms across Argentina, and it was seized by
local authorities. Shortly after, US authorities got involved
claiming the sale of the aircraft by the Iranian state carrier
Mahan Air to Venezuela’s Conviasa was a clear violation of the US
Export Control Laws. Conviasa deployed the 747 on its cargo
subsidiary Emtrasur.


Almost a year has passed; the crew has been released, but the
plane remains grounded in Buenos Aires. Venezuela’s government
has repeatedly requested the return of Emtrasur’s Boeing 747. In
the meantime, the US government has conducted a process to seize
the aircraft. Argentina’s Ministry of Justice has received a
letter sent by the US Justice Department requesting that the
aircraft be handed over to it.


Argentina is now in a complex geopolitical spot. On the one hand,
it can support the US’ claims and deliver the aircraft. On the
other hand, it can choose not to pick a fight with Venezuela and
Iran, which is said to be closely watching the development of the
crisis.


Emtrasur acquired the aircraft in 2022. It operated a few cargo
services across Latin America in 2022 before its grounding in
Buenos Aires. According to the Department of Justice, Mahan Air
violated the temporary Denial Order and US export control laws
when it sold the aircraft to Emtrasur without the US Government's
authorization. Other violations of US laws occurred between
February and May 2022 when Emtrasur flew the aircraft between
Caracas, Venezuela; Tehran, Iran; and Moscow, Russia, without US
Government authorization.


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ADDITIONAL LINKS:


Emtrasur’s 747 Detained in Buenos Aires: U.S. Attorney
Requests Immediate Execution of Seizure


US Official Requests Seizure of Emtrasur’s Grounded Boeing 747


Diosdado Cabello


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