Scrap metal instead of cut flowers
It's not just flowers that have been flown from South America to the USA these days. On 12 February, the US department of justice completed the enforcement of a final order for forfeiture of a B747 cargo plane, previously owned by Mahan Air, a sanctioned Iranian airline affiliated with the Islamic revolutionary guard corp-qods force, a designated foreign terrorist organisation (FTO).
The day before, Argentina’s government, which had detained the aircraft, now under the flag of the Venezuelan state carrier Emtrasur Cargo, since August 2022, transferred physical custody of the plane to the USA pursuant to the final order of forfeiture issued on 3 May 2023, which rests all right, title, and interest in the aircraft in the USA. The freighter arrived in the Southern District of Florida where it will be prepared for disposition. (ah)