DEA closes office in Santo Domingo following arrest of chief on corruption charges
Melitón Cordero, supervisor of the DEA in the Dominican Republic, was arrested in Washington accused of bribery and visa fraud. The US embassy closed the anti-narcotics office in Santo Domingo until further notice.
DEA suspends operations in Santo Domingo over internal corruption case
Melitón Cordero, supervisor of the US anti-drugs agency DEA in the Dominican Republic, remains detained in the United States accused of bribery and visa fraud, according to US justice authorities reported on Friday. This was reported by elperiodico.com, which also accounts for the closure of the agency's office in Santo Domingo, announced the day before by the American ambassador.
Cordero, 47, was arrested on Thursday in Washington. The federal prosecutors for the District of Columbia accuse him of participating in a scheme through which he "allegedly accepted thousands of dollars in exchange for helping foreign citizens obtain a non-immigrant visa that would allow them to visit the United States for a temporary period". The official had been assigned to the US embassy in Santo Domingo for six years.
Ambassador Leah Campos announced the closure of the anti-narcotics office on Thursday through a statement published on X. "Corruption has no place in the government of the United States or in any other," she stated. "It is a repugnant and dishonourable violation of public trust to use official position for personal benefit," she added.
In a subsequent message, Campos clarified that the temporary closure aims to "allow time for an internal investigation of this Embassy". The diplomatic representative assured that anti-narcotics operations would not be interrupted: "That work will continue at the same solid pace between the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo and our Dominican partners, even as our internal investigation is carried out".
The closure comes just one week after the visit to the country by the head of the DEA for the Caribbean, Michael Miranda, who on 4 February praised the policy of President Luis Abinader in the fight against drug trafficking.
The US government has repeatedly valued the anti-narcotics cooperation of the current Dominican administration, which last year seized 48 tonnes of drugs. The National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD) has described this work of fighting "unprecedented" against organised crime structures, according to EFE. Campos stressed that the Dominican Republic "remains a fundamental partner in our work to combat narco-terrorism throughout the region".
Source: Google News DO — Santo Domingo