The Minister of the Armed Forces, Admiral Sigfrido Pared Perez has told reporters that the lack of sophisticated equipment is the “principal limitation” faced by the armed forces in controlling the frontier with Haiti and monitoring Dominican airspace. The admiral identified the areas around Manzanillo, Pedernales and Cabo Rojo as the areas that were most vulnerable to drug trafficking.
During his visit to the offices of Multimedia del Caribe, the admiral told his hosts that an efficient control of the frontier had to include a control of the airspace, and that his ministry lacked the equipment to carry out such a mission. When questioned regarding the landing of a small plane on the highway between San Pedro de Macoris and La Romana, the Minister of the Armed Forces replied that if the Air Force had interceptor aircraft, capable of detecting the presence of such illegal flights, this never would have happened. The admiral also said that he regretted the fact that the radar units that once were operated by the United States Army at Cabo Rojo and Las Calderas (as well as Puerto Plata) have been removed by the U.S. government.