Dominican Republic seizes drugs from vessel intercepted by US forces
Dominican officials reported the recovery of hundreds of cocaine packages from a speedboat that was neutralised in the Caribbean Sea during a joint operation.
Dominican Republic seizes drugs from vessel intercepted by US forces
The Caribbean nation confirmed on Sunday that its agents succeeded in seizing part of the illicit cargo that was travelling on a speedboat, which was destroyed by US military vessels during an anti-drugs operation that has generated criticism in the region.
Representatives of the National Drug Control Directorate specified that they recovered 377 packages containing cocaine from the speedboat, whose total cargo was estimated at one metric tonne of narcotics. The incident took place approximately 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata, Dominican island territory.
The naval forces of the island nation participated alongside US personnel in locating the vessel. According to preliminary investigations, those responsible intended to land on Dominican soil and then transport the substance to North American territory, using the Caribbean nation as a transit point.
The institution in charge of combating drug trafficking highlighted that this intervention marks the first coordinated effort between both governments to confront narco-terrorism in Caribbean waters.
Washington's military deployment in the zone began in August, when eight warships and a submarine were sent to the southern Caribbean. Since then, three drug-laden vessels are said to have been destroyed, resulting in the deaths of more than ten individuals who were aboard them.
These actions have been heavily questioned. Human rights defenders have denounced that the attacks constitute homicides outside the legal framework. Furthermore, Democratic legislators in the Capitol presented a motion to halt further attacks of this kind.
The US executive maintains that at least two of the destroyed vessels departed from Venezuela. Trump administration officials frequently link Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to drug-trafficking networks, accusations that the South American leader firmly rejects. Maduro, for his part, regards the US naval presence in the zone as a direct aggression against his nation.
Information from PBS NewsHour
Source: Google News DM — Crime