DNCD intercepts two speedboats with 749 packets of cocaine south of Baní; four arrested
The DNCD, Dominican Navy and Air Force seized two vessels containing 749 packets of alleged cocaine off Punta Salinas. Four Dominican citizens were arrested.
Two speedboats intercepted with drug cargo south of Punta Salinas
The Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) reported on Sunday the seizure of two speedboats carrying a total of 749 packets of alleged cocaine, according to infobae.com. The simultaneous operation was carried out in waters south of Punta Salinas, in the municipality of Baní, Peravia province, and resulted in the arrest of four Dominican citizens.
The operation involved the participation of the Dominican Republic Navy (ARD), the Dominican Republic Air Force (FARD), state intelligence agencies, the South Interagency Task Force and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), under co-ordination by the Public Ministry.
First vessel: 281 packets and an exotic monkey
The first interception took place several nautical miles south of Punta Salinas. Authorities stopped a speedboat with two men on board and seized 10 bales containing 281 packets of the allegedly illicit substance. The packets were wrapped in adhesive tape and marked with various logos, according to the DNCD.
During the search of that vessel, agents also found an exotic monkey that was travelling with the cargo.
Second speedboat: two more arrests and 468 packets
In a parallel operation in the same maritime area, operational units intercepted a second speedboat. They arrested two other Dominican citizens and seized 20 bales containing 468 packets of the substance. The combined result of both interdictions was 30 bales and 749 packets of alleged cocaine.
The authorities did not disclose the identities of the four detainees nor specify the intended destination of the cargo.
More than nine hours of aerial surveillance
Colonel pilot Manuel Gómez, director of communications for the Air Force, indicated that aircraft from the institution carried out surveillance and monitoring operations that accumulated more than nine hours of flight time. According to Gómez, the aerial teams detected two vessels with a suspicious profile south of Beata Island, which allowed them to locate and monitor the speedboats before the naval units carried out the interdiction.
"The information obtained from the aerial component made it possible to support the operational response and guide the actions of the naval units of the Dominican Republic Navy," the officer stated.
Captain Isaac Rodríguez, director of communications for the Navy, maintained that the institution will continue surveillance in national maritime spaces. "Transnational organised crime will have no space, and will have no space, at sea," he declared.
Forensic and judicial investigation underway
The 749 packets remain under chain of custody and were sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif), the agency responsible for determining the type of substance and the exact weight of the cargo.
The Public Ministry and the DNCD are maintaining an open investigation to identify other individuals allegedly linked to the operation. Authorities indicate that these organisations use speedboats to transport drug shipments from South America to Dominican territory by sea. The investigation must establish the precise route of the vessels, the origin of the substance and the possible connection of those arrested to transnational drug trafficking organisations.
Source: Google News DO — Crime