Dominican Republic and Belgium Customs sign memorandum against organised crime and drug trafficking
The Dominican Republic and Belgium sealed a customs agreement to combat transnational crime and illicit drug trafficking. It is the third bilateral security agreement this year.
Third bilateral security agreement between Dominican Republic and Belgium in 2025
The general customs directorates of the Dominican Republic and Belgium signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at combating customs violations and transnational organised crime, according to elnuevodiario.com.do. The document was signed at the headquarters of the General Administration of Customs and Special Taxes of the Kingdom of Belgium by the head of that institution, Kristian Vanderwaeren, and by the Dominican director general of Customs, Dr Nelson Arroyo.
The Dominican ambassador to Belgium and head of mission to the European Union, Joan M. Cedano, also attended the ceremony; the technical adviser to the General Customs Directorate, Gabino José Polanco; minister counsellor Ellen Martínez de Cooreman; the assistant to the director general, Nohely Bencosme; and senior officials of the Belgian customs administration.
The third result of an initiative driven by the Foreign Ministry
The memorandum represents the third concrete agreement resulting from an initiative of the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, channelled through the Embassy in Brussels, with the aim of building a comprehensive framework for bilateral security cooperation. In April of this year, both countries signed an initial understanding between the Dominican National Police and the Belgian Federal Police. On 15 June they signed a second agreement, on maritime security, between the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) and Belgium's Federal Public Service for Mobility and Transport.
Scope of the memorandum: shared intelligence and joint operations
The new instrument establishes a framework for cooperation to promote the exchange of experiences, information and intelligence between both customs authorities; strengthen early warning mechanisms; share risk analysis, trends and methods employed by criminal networks; and coordinate positions within the World Customs Organisation. The agreement also includes the carrying out of coordinated operations, the exchange of best practices and greater collaboration between competent authorities in response to organised crime activities linked to international trade.
Antwerp and Caucedo ports, cornerstones of anti-narcotics cooperation
The signing of the memorandum responds to the interest of both governments in strengthening cooperation against international drug trafficking, particularly in light of the increase in the use of commercial routes and ports for illicit drug trafficking. The Dominican Republic and Belgium reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying intelligence sharing and deepening collaboration between their main ports: Antwerp and Multimodal Caucedo. Both nations emphasised that the agreement will contribute to greater regional security and the strengthening of legitimate international trade.
Source: Google News DO — Crime