Spanish
Santo Domingo. – Legislators from the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) highlighted this Monday the cooperation between the Dominican Republic and the United States in the fight against drug trafficking, after a vessel with around a thousand kilos of cocaine was intercepted and destroyed south of Beata Island.
Senator Rogelio Genao considered that the operation, executed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with the support of the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) and the Dominican Navy, is a direct result of the bilateral agreements to combat organized crime in the region.
"We welcome this operation and understand that drug trafficking must be confronted with harshness and firmness to prevent it from continuing to destroy our society. It is necessary to continue delivering these forceful blows and liberate the Dominican Republic from this evil," he affirmed.
Meanwhile, ruling party deputy Kenia Bidó highlighted that the current management of the DNCD has shown greater effectiveness compared to past administrations.
"This has been the Drug Control Directorate that has seized the most substances. That shows that it is doing its job, unlike previous years when the country was practically overrun with drugs. We positively value that these seizures continue to be carried out, which affect the youth," he expressed.
The flow of drugs has not decreased and drug trafficking has increased
However, from the opposition, the deputy of the Fuerza del Pueblo, Alcibíades Tavárez, warned that the seizure reflects the magnitude of the problem. "Everything indicates that the flow of drugs to the Dominican Republic has not decreased, on the contrary, it has increased. This operation is a clear sign that drug trafficking continues to strengthen," he said, while calling for further investigations and the establishment of responsibilities.You may be interested in: U.S. destroys narco-terrorist boat and seizes 377 packages of cocaine in Dominican sea
The DNCD reported that 377 packages of cocaine were recovered from the vessel, which allegedly carried about 1,000 kilograms of the drug and intended to use Dominican territory as a "bridge" to take it to the United States. The intervention occurred about 80 nautical miles south of Beata Island, with support from the Dominican Navy and US forces. In August, Washington deployed eight warships and a submarine in the Caribbean as part of an anti-drug mission, an operation that has already destroyed at least three speedboats in attacks that left more than a dozen dead.
