Dominican Republic recovers drugs from speedboat eliminated by US forces in Caribbean
Officials in Santo Domingo recovered 377 packages of cocaine from a speedboat destroyed by the US Navy near Isla Beata, in an unprecedented joint operation in the region.
Dominican Republic recovers drugs from speedboat eliminated by US forces in Caribbean
On Sunday, authorities in Santo Domingo announced that they had seized a portion of the drugs being transported by a speedboat that was destroyed in recent days by US military vessels. The operation took place within an anti-drugs operation driven by the Trump administration in waters of the southern Caribbean.
The country's National Narcotics Control Directorate stated at a press conference that it had recovered 377 packages containing cocaine. According to investigations, the speedboat was carrying a total load of approximately one tonne of the drug. The site where the interception occurred is located around 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata, Dominican island territory.
According to official data, the local Navy acted in coordination with US officials to locate the vessel. It is believed that the crew members intended to land on Dominican soil and then transport the illicit cargo to US territory, using the nation as a transit point.
The anti-narcotics agency described the operation as historic, as it was the first joint action between both countries aimed at combating narcoterrorism in the Caribbean region.
Washington's military deployment in the area began in August, when eight warships and a submarine were sent with the stated objective of stemming the trafficking of illegal substances. Since then, the White House reports that three vessels have been neutralised in separate incidents, resulting in more than a dozen deaths.
These actions have generated criticism from human rights advocacy organisations, which view them as executions outside the legal framework. Furthermore, Democratic Party lawmakers in Congress are seeking to stop similar new attacks through a resolution presented on Friday.
The Trump government maintains that at least two of the destroyed vessels departed from Venezuela. White House officials frequently accuse Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug trafficking network known as the Cartel of the Suns. From Caracas, Maduro rejects such allegations and characterises the US naval presence as an aggression against his nation.
Information from PBS NewsHour
Source: Google News DM — Crime