DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic continues to need to spend more on its security due to external factors – mainly dealing with crime from Haiti and drug trafficking. President Luis Abinader announced he will be signing an agreement with Portugal as early as this week to acquire at least two, and potentially four, offshore patrol vessels. President Luis Abinader announced that these new additions to the Dominican fleet will significantly bolster the nation’s efforts to combat drug trafficking in the region.

The agreement is the culmination of a year-long process, stemming from Abinader’s visit to Portugal approximately 12 months ago. Since then, the deal has been under continuous negotiation.

“From that visit, we have now reached an agreement to acquire at least two, perhaps even four, offshore patrol boats, which we did not previously possess in the Dominican...