US intercepts Venezuela-bound aircraft loaded with firearms in Florida
US 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, US authorities said.
Two Venezuelan pilots Luis Alberto Patino and Gregori Mendez were arrested Saturday and charged with smuggling bulk cash and goods from the US and illegally possessing firearms as aliens, US Customs and Border Protection said in a news release on Tuesday. 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 US and Venezuela have escalated in recent months, including allegations that opponents of President Nicols Maduro had been seeking the support of a former US Green Beret to violently overthrow the socialist leader.
