Santo Domingo.– After the seizure of 9.5 tons of cocaine this Friday, the Dominican authorities have set a new record in the seizure of drugs in the country, managing to confiscate 41.6 tons this year. With international cooperation, the consolidated amount amounts to 65,768 kilograms.
The shipment confiscated this Friday constitutes the largest in all history of the Dominican Republic.
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The operation, in which agents from the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), the Customs Directorate, State intelligence agencies and the military security of the Multimodal Port Caucedowas carried out under the coordination of the Public Ministry in the aforementioned port terminal of the municipality of Boca Chica, Santo Domingo province.
“This is the first seizure of cocaine never seen in the Dominican Republic and part of the Caribbean region, which shows the commitment of the Dominican Government to continue dealing important blows to these criminal structures that try to use the Dominican territory for their illicit activities,” reported the DNCD in a statement.
The stash that boasted the largest volume so far it happened in 2006also in the Port of Caucedoand it was 2,582 kilograms. This new seizure marks a before and after in the fight against drug trafficking and its related crimes.
How the blow occurred
DNCD agents, supported by members of official organizations, after receiving intelligence reports, began a profiling and inspection operation on dozens of containers that were in transit through the country. A unit who was moving through one of the terminal blocks, noticed a unusual movement.
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After carrying out a visual survey throughout the area, two open containers were detected: one empty and another loaded with bananas, which immediately alerted all the security agencies stationed in the port, activating the action protocol for these cases.
On instructions from the prosecutor, a more thorough inspection, managing to detect in both containers a total of 320 bags that contained 9,588 packages of a substance presumed to be cocaine, with an estimated value of 250 million dollars.
“The first investigations indicate that the container loaded with bananas arrived in the country from Guatemala and, as has been established, several individuals, until now unknown, were trying to transfer the shipment to another container that would be loaded onto a ship bound for Belgium“added the DNCD.
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The Public Ministry and the DNCD investigate at least 10 people linked to port, while the investigations deepen in relation to the frustrated shipment of the shipment to Europe.
The DNCD once again highlighted the support of the central government, the Armed Forces, the Attorney General’s Office, the Police, State intelligence agencies and international cooperation, which has been decisive for the success of these interdiction operations against illicit drug trafficking.
The 9,588 packages of the substance were sent under chain of custody to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) to determine the exact type and weight of the cargo.
