The US Department of Justice is seeking civil forfeiture of a 2012 Gulfstream G550 owned by China’s Deer Jet (Beijing) Co. Ltd, alleging that it flew to Iran without required US authorisation. Federal agents seized the aircraft, registered B-8259, in Anchorage, Alaska, on 24 May 2026. The case is pending in a federal court in California; the allegations have not been established by a final ruling.
The forfeiture complaint, filed on 28 October, concerns a flight from Beijing to Tehran on 13 December 2024. Prosecutors allege the aircraft remained in Iran until 19 December, exceeding the 72-hour stay permitted under a US Treasury general licence. They also contend the flight required an export licence from the Commerce Department and that no approval was obtained for the longer stay.
The aircraft was in FBI custody in Virginia when the case was filed. The civil action gives parties claiming an interest in the G550 an opportunity to contest its forfeiture. The complaint does not specify whether the government would sell the aircraft or retain it for official use if the court grants the request.