The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has publicly confirmed that the notorious Sinaloa Cartel does not have an active drug trafficking presence in the Dominican Republic, corroborating earlier statements made by President Luis Abinader, as reported in Diario Libre.
Tony Velázquez, the DEA’s spokesperson for the Caribbean region, reiterated that the Mexican cartel is not moving narcotics within the country, directly supporting the affirmation the cartel members that had been here had already left. The observations of their departure were made during the Monday, 7 July 2025 presidential press conference.
“The President is very right in what he is saying. The President is not lying,” Velázquez affirmed in an interview with local media. “We continue to collaborate and work with the DNCD and the Dominican authorities, with the entire justice component of the people of the Dominican Republic, but the President is absolutely right in what he mentions, that there is no grip of the Sinaloa cartel in the Dominican Republic.”
Velázquez clarified that while individuals associated with the criminal group were in Dominican territory earlier in 2025, their presence did not constitute a structured operation or an organic presence of the cartel. “At no time did we say that there was drug trafficking activity in the Dominican Republic attributable to the Sinaloa Cartel,” he stated.
The DEA spokesperson also emphasized the strong bilateral cooperation in intelligence sharing. “When the President speaks and accurately mentions that there is no close link or no drug trafficking activity from Sinaloa, the President is correct and saying what is true. He is stating the reality, and we can support that with both their intelligence and ours.”
The recent search alert for four alleged members of the Sinaloa Cartel in Dominican territory had previously garnered significant media attention.
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Diario Libre
DR1 News
DR1 News
10 July 2025