The National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) agents and Navy men reported the seizing of 1,402 packages of cocaine from two speedboats that were intercepted on coastal waters of San Pedro de Macoris and Santo Domingo. Eight people were arrested, including five Venezuelans, one Colombian and two Dominicans in the operation.
The DNCD is on a record year of seizing cocaine, but this is one of the largest operations.
As reported, in a first operation that lasted about 16 hours, two Dominicans, a Colombian and a Venezuelan, were arrested on board a boat that had 659 packages of cocaine on board along the San Pedro de Macoris southern coast.
In a second operation, south of Santo Domingo, again after several hours of pursuit, a boat carrying 743 packages of cocaine was intercepted. On board were four Venezuelans.
Intelligence reports indicate that the boats had left from La Guajira, on the border area of Colombia and Venezuela, said Carlos Devers, DNCD spokesman. He said the authorities are investigating if there was a connection between the two shipments.
So far in April alone this year, the DNCD has confiscated around five tons of cocaine. This is an amount similar to the total seized in the entire first quarter of last year, 5.9 tons. Overall, this brings to 12.5 tons the cocaine seized so far this 2022. In all of 2021, authorities grabbed a total of 19 tons.
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N Digital
DNCD
27 April 2022