Thread by @bellingcat

Venezuela says it has destroyed at least 8 so called “narco-planes" that had been registered in the US in recent years.

But who owns these aircraft and what, if anything, can they tell us about the drug trade? New from @gianfiorella & @LOActualControl

bellingcat.com/uncategorized/…

@gianfiorella @LOActualControl As it turns out, uncovering the true owners of these aircraft was an impossible task. But we weren’t the first to notice this issue.

@gianfiorella @LOActualControl A 2020 US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report outlined schemes it said potentially enabled foreign nationals to register aircraft in the US before using them for illicit purposes, like drug trafficking.

@gianfiorella @LOActualControl This is made possible, the GAO noted, by US trusts and LLCs that can obscure ownership.

@gianfiorella @LOActualControl We found that all 8 of the US-registered aircraft destroyed in Venezuela since 2019 and alleged to have been involved in the drug trade were registered to US trusts, LLCs, or LLC trustees.

@gianfiorella @LOActualControl It is important to note, however, that none of the trusts or LLCs that registered the aircraft have done anything illegal.

@gianfiorella @LOActualControl One of these aircraft (N100QR) changed ownership through several US trusts in late September 2020. A few days later, it was found destroyed in a field in Venezuela.

@gianfiorella @LOActualControl While we were able to track some of N100QR’s movements in the years leading up to its destruction using open sources, the intricate web of trusts, LLCs, sales and releases have again hidden the aircraft’s actual owners.

@gianfiorella @LOActualControl Read more about the issue and the methods we employed to track the aircraft and their history of ownership in the full article bellingcat.com/uncategorized/…