The Biden administration has seized a plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, claiming the purchase of the aircraft violated U.S. sanctions. The plane, which was seized in the Dominican Republic, was allegedly bought for $13 million through a shell company and then smuggled out of the United States, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Maduro’s government condemned the move as an act of “piracy.”

This comes as tensions remain high following July’s contested presidential election in Venezuela. Venezuelan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition presidential candidate that the U.S. and allies have recognized as the winner of the election. This is Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

President Nicolás Maduro: “This cowardly man, González Urrutia, has the nerve to say that he doesn’t recognize any of our institutions. That is why the majority of the people who live in Venezuela agree that laws should work, that there must be order, the constitution should be respected, and public government institutions should do their work.”