Santo Domingo.– Dominican authorities seized a cache of 484 packages presumably of cocaine off the coast of the province of Flints. The operation was carried out within the framework of the “Operation Southern Lance” of the United States Southern Command.
Interinstitutional Coordination
The operation involved the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD)the Dominican Republic Navy (ARD) and the Air Force (FARD)working in close collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and under the coordination of members of the Public Ministry.
This seizure marks the first within this operation, officially announced hours earlier by the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Pete Hegseth, together with the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF South).
Details of the Interdiction
The acting units mounted a broad operation by air, sea and land, after receiving intelligence reports about a vessel that was approaching the Dominican coast with a significant shipment of narcotics.
- Place and Detention: After hours of intense monitoring, the units managed to intercept, several miles south of Beata Islanda fast boat (Go Fast type), without a name or license plate.
- Crew and Drugs: Two men of Dominican nationality were arrested red-handed on board the boat, where they were found 18 bags that contained the 484 packages of alleged drugs, wrapped in adhesive tape with different logos.
- Vessel and Evidence: The boat was 27 feet long, equipped with two outboard motors of 40 horsepower each. Also seized were 5 fuel jugs, 2 GPS devices, a cell phone, a tarp, water and groceries.
Origin: It is presumed that the vessel would have left from South America bound for the Dominican coast. The authorities applied early action protocols to neutralize the boat, arrest the crew and confiscate the cache.
Judicial Process
The Public Ministry and the DNCD have initiated the investigation. The two Dominicans arrested will be brought to justice in the next few hours for violating the Law 50-88 on drugs and controlled substances.
The packages of the alleged cocaine were sent under chain of custody to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF)where the exact type and weight of the shipment will be determined through the corresponding analyses.
Regional Leadership
The Dominican authorities, with the support of international organizations, continue to strengthen their operational capacity against criminal networks, dealing forceful blows to drug trafficking, which reaffirms the leadership of the Dominican Republic in the fight and persecution against transnational organized crime.
