Spanish
Santo Domingo. - In a resounding and coordinated operation that reaffirms the firm commitment of the State Dominican Republic in the frontal fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, agents of the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), members of the Dominican Republic Navy (ARD), the Dominican Republic Air Force (FARD), State Intelligence agencies, with the support of the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS) and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), coordinated by members of the Public Ministry, seized a shipment of 1,295 packages of alleged cocaine and marijuana, during two simultaneous operations carried out in the province of Pedernales.
The successful intervention, considered one of the most relevant of the last weeks, was deployed several nautical miles south of the coasts of the aforementioned demarcation and demonstrates the operational capacity, the high level of tactical response, as well as the effective integration of the State institutions.
Security forces were alerted to the presence of two vessels moving suspiciously towards Dominican territorial waters, immediately activating the surveillance and pursuit protocol by air, sea, and land, to intercept both boats and capture their crew.
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As a result of the extensive operational deployment, on the coasts of Pedernales, the acting units intercepted a first vessel of approximately 24 feet in length, equipped with 100 horsepower engines, where two men were arrested and 16 bales were confiscated, containing inside 314 packages of alleged cocaine and 89 of marijuana, for a total of 403 packages. Simultaneously, and amidst an intense pursuit, the mixed units managed to neutralize a second vessel in the vicinity of the same maritime coordinates, seizing another 836 packages of presumed marijuana and 56 of cocaine, totaling 892 packages. In this intervention, a Dominican and a Venezuelan citizen were arrested. "The simultaneous neutralization of both narco-boats constitutes another demonstration of the high level of coordination, response capacity, and commitment of the security forces of the Dominican Republic, who managed to arrest four individuals and seize a total of 1,295 packages of alleged cocaine and marijuana in the same combined operation." The Public Ministry and the DNCD have initiated an in-depth investigation to determine if both cases are related to the same international criminal structure and to establish the possible link of other individuals, in order to arrest them and bring them to justice. The authorities ratified that they will continue to strengthen interdiction and prosecution operations against drug trafficking networks, as part of the firm security policy promoted by the Dominican Government to guarantee the protection of sovereignty, peace, and national security. The 1,295 packages of the substances were sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF), under strict chain of custody protocols, to determine the exact type and weight of the shipment.
