DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Authorities have launched an investigation into how two women managed to smuggle more than US$2 million in cash out of the Dominican Republic, concealed in a suitcase aboard a commercial flight from Las Américas International Airport to Ecuador, with a stopover in Panama. The women were able to evade controls at the Santo Domingo and Panama airports. They are now investigated for money laundering.

María Verónica Montenegro Vacas and Martha Alejandra Montenegro Vacas were detained on Thursday, 21 November 2024 upon arriving at Quito’s airport after the flight, which originated in the Dominican Republic. The women managed to bypass security protocols at Las Americas International Airport, where the amount of money—US$2.1 million—was hidden in bundles of $100 bills sealed inside a bag.

According to officials, the cash had been withdrawn from a bank in the Dominican Republic just...