Yesterday, the US Drug Enforcement Agency representative in the DR, Elias Lopez, expressed his concern about the amount of drugs that stay in this country as a result of trafficking, which shows there is a local client base. A report in Diario Libre says that Lopez is worried that heroin trafficking to the DR might also increase as this would bring about more crime and drug abuse. The US official was speaking after a public function where the Director of the National Drug Control Department (DNCD), Rear Admiral Ivan Pena Castillo received an award. Pena warned that the heroin trade is stronger every day, apparently due to the fact that it sells at a higher price and is easier to transport. One kilo of heroin can be as profitable as 50 kilos of cocaine, according to Pena. He also informed that last Sunday a group of people trying to smuggle 5 kilos of heroin was arrested in the eastern region of the country.