Vice Admiral Ramón Gustavo Bentances Hernández, general commander of the Dominican Republic Navy, stated that there are “many” vessels detained with shipments of illicit substances so far this year.
Although he did not provide an exact figure, he indicated that each boat has convincing evidence to bring those who boarded it to justice.
“Every time an operation is carried out and these boats are stopped, they remain as evidence of justice and are in the custody of the Navy, how many are there? There are many, because every time there is a case that is stopped, it is a boat” , specified the vice admiral.
He said that they constantly support the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) to prevent any illegal act.
“The Navy fulfills its duty every day and every day it is more effective not only preventing illegal tripsbut giving daily support to the National Directorate for Drug Control to prevent any illicit act,” he said.
He said that daily Dominican Navy prevents illegal trips and saves the lives of hundreds of people who risk their lives, given that many of these trips have a high percentage of failure.
“Daily the Navy has its continuous patrols in order to prevent illegal trips, and not only to prevent, but also saving lives. Each of these illegal trips has a high percentage of failures because they are coordinated vessels without any naval criteria, therefore they do not guarantee people’s lives,” said the commander.
In addition, he affirmed that the Intelligence Directorate of the Navy and the Public Prosecutor’s Office have submitted to justice several of those who direct these illegal trips.
“We have four prosecutors who are in charge. Any person who is arrested and there is evidence, and that justice considers it, are brought to justice,” he said.
The Vice Admiral said these words during the presentation of the Velas Latinoamérica Santo Domingo 2022 event.
