Dominican Republic seizes drugs from speedboat intercepted by US forces in the Caribbean
Dominican officials recovered hundreds of packages of cocaine following a joint operation with the United States in waters near Isla Beata.
Dominican Republic seizes drugs from speedboat intercepted by US forces in the Caribbean
Last Sunday, officials from the Dominican Republic announced that they had succeeded in recovering a portion of the cargo carried by a speedboat, which was neutralised by the US Navy during an operation in the southern Caribbean zone promoted by the Trump administration.
At a press conference, the National Drug Control Directorate of the Caribbean country confirmed that it had obtained 377 packages containing cocaine. It is estimated that the speedboat was carrying approximately one tonne of the illicit substance.
According to official reports, the incident occurred approximately 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata, Dominican territory. Local naval forces coordinated efforts with US agencies to locate the vessel, which allegedly intended to land on Dominican soil and then transfer the merchandise to the North American market.
The anti-drugs institution described the event as a historic milestone: "This is the first time that both nations have jointly carried out an operation against narco-terrorism in this Caribbean region," they stated.
Since August, Washington has deployed eight combat vessels and a submarine in the vicinity of the southern Caribbean, justifying the measure as part of its fight against international drug trafficking. To date, according to White House accounts, three vessels suspected of transporting narcotics have been eliminated, operations in which more than twelve individuals have died.
These military actions have generated criticism from various human rights organisations, which consider them extrajudicial killings. Additionally, Democratic Party legislators in Congress pushed a resolution to halt further attacks of this kind.
The US executive indicates that two of the intercepted vessels departed from Venezuela. Washington officials have repeatedly accused Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro of being linked to drug trafficking and of heading an organisation called the Cartel of the Suns. Maduro has dismissed such accusations and described the military deployment as an aggression against his nation.
_Information published by PBS NewsHour_
Source: Google News DM — Crime