- Thread starter JD Jones
- Start date
Guess what's in Santo Domingo?
Right, I guess the posters who are so surprised that US agents were raiding the boat claiming that they don't have jurisdiction to do so don't know this aspect.
There are very few ways for the DR to seize or impound a boat/ship flagged in another country. Customs/immigration inspections and failing to pay fees due notwithstanding. They are piracy, slavery, munitions/arms/drug trafficking and money laundering.
To do the kind of invasive search that appears to have been done and in in cooperation with US authorities, they must have had some evidence of one of the above or the search and seizure would likely be determined to have been an illegal one under Maritime Law.
https://www.unodc.org/documents/Mar...aritime_Crime_Manual_Second_Edition_ebook.pdf
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
To do the kind of invasive search that appears to have been done and in in cooperation with US authorities, they must have had some evidence of one of the above or the search and seizure would likely be determined to have been an illegal one under Maritime Law.
https://www.unodc.org/documents/Mar...aritime_Crime_Manual_Second_Edition_ebook.pdf
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
I don’t really know but if it’s true I am ok with it. The DR becoming more and more like Puerto Rico is probably the best scenario for the country. It can only improve the rule of law.
I don’t know if it would benefit the DR to behave more like Puerto Rico, a US unincorporated country (colony). Puerto Rican politicians are very vocal about how poorly the US has treated their country since it became a US colony. Puerto Rico’s trade ability, supposedly improved and encouraged by the new Canada-US- Mexico agreement, has been hampered by unpaid debt and counter productive US legislation. To be fair, the unpaid debt was a Puerto Rican government issue, not a US issue.
The US response to Puerto Rico’s last major devastating hurricane was far from adequate according to Puerto Rican politicians. Puerto Ricans were left to repair damaged infrastructure pretty much on their own. Private volunteer groups from the States assisted as much as they could, especially linesman to repair the damaged power distribution system. Puerto Rico has seen a major exodus of its citizens to the US because of the increasing poverty and lack of job opportunities.
I think the DR has well established long term links with the US that serve both countries well.
DR rule of law is culturally acceptable to Dominicans despite it’s shortcomings. I doubt if US influence would have any impact on DR laws.
I’d say it was an HSI fishing trip under the guise of a DR Customs inspection. The HSI agents were tag alongs. The DR agents were the front men. I highly doubt any of the illegal activities you listed were the reason for the inspection.
That (customs inspection) would not necessarily be sufficient to also allow HSI agents to also board and search....................but this might;
Doubts and speculation two days after the raid on the Russian yacht Flying Fox
<p>On the first day of April, the Flying Fox was intervened by the authorities as part of their investigation “into alleged money laundering and arms trafficking,” according to a statement from the MP. Santo Domingo, DR At noon on Friday, several agents of the Public Ministry, Customs...
dominicantoday.com
Seems they are alleging possible arms trafficking, drug trafficking, money laundering.............take your pick. That is the only way that I can see to legally justify a search and/or a seizure of the type being conducted.
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
That (customs inspection) would not necessarily be sufficient to also allow HSI agents to also board and search....................but this might;
Doubts and speculation two days after the raid on the Russian yacht Flying Fox
<p>On the first day of April, the Flying Fox was intervened by the authorities as part of their investigation “into alleged money laundering and arms trafficking,” according to a statement from the MP. Santo Domingo, DR At noon on Friday, several agents of the Public Ministry, Customs...
Seems they are alleging possible arms trafficking, drug trafficking, money laundering.............take your pick. That is the only way that I can see to legally justify a search and/or a seizure of the type being conducted.
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
Definitely!
Well - it seems the US can seize ships in other countries - witness Mallorca