Navy sailor held in Venezuela during personal journey

Last week, a Navy sailor was held captive in Caracas, Venezuela, during a personal journey.

On Saturday, a sailor from the Navy was detained and is currently being held in custody, according to a Navy official who spoke to Planet Chronicle.

The sailor, who was on personal travel and not authorized to visit Venezuela, was detained. The reason for the detention is unclear.

The sailor's detainment comes as Venezuela has been rocked by political turmoil.

Last month, Maria Oropeza, a prominent opposition leader in Venezuela, broadcasted her arrest on livestream as she was taken from her home in Portugesa.

Without probable cause or a warrant, Venezuela's General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence forced entry into Oropeza's home during the stream.

Since her mobile phone was confiscated and her Instagram stream was terminated by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's enforcers, Oropeza has not been heard from. During her live broadcast, she stated, "I am not a criminal. I am just another citizen who wants a different country."

Before being detained, Oropeza criticized the crackdowns in Venezuela, calling them a witch hunt against politicians after the election.

More than 1 million votes were cast for Maduro in Venezuela's July 28 election, resulting in his claim of victory.

Since 2013, Maduro has been in power and is now seeking a third six-year term.

The main opposition coalition, Vente Venezuela, has accused him of attempting to steal the vote.

Records show that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won the election in Venezuela with a more than 2-to-1 margin. However, both Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado have gone into hiding since the vote.

Oropeza is one of the more than 2,000 demonstrators who have been arrested by security forces in Venezuela following Maduro's claim of victory, which sparked protests and led to violent repression by the regime.

In the Dominican Republic, a plane owned by Maduro was seized by the U.S. on Monday.

On Monday morning, HSI returned Maduro's personal plane to the United States, where it is now in U.S. custody, according to a U.S. official who spoke to Planet Chronicle after CNN's initial report.

The Dassault Falcon 900-EX, worth $13 million, was seized due to a joint investigation with HSI and the Department of Commerce.

This report was contributed to by Danielle Wallace, Bill Melugin, and Kyra Colah of Planet Chronicle.