After being alerted to unusual movement near the shores of the eastern El Seibo province, agents of the National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) and personnel from the Dominican Republic Navy (ARD), seized 19 bales of hashish during an inspection operation on the coast of Miches, El Seibo. They acted in coordination with the state prosecution arm of the Attorney General Office.
Miches is currently experiencing a massive boom in luxury hotel development and tourism infrastructure, making rigorous maritime security in this eastern coastal area a priority for national law enforcement.
Acting on intelligence gathering, operational teams were alerted to suspicious activity at Las Pasas beach. Upon arriving at the location, authorities initiated extensive search and tracking efforts throughout the zone, ultimately locating a sack containing the suspected narcotics.
Following the instructions of the presiding prosecutor, the responding agents opened the sack to find 19 bales containing 380 portions of hashish. The total weight was confirmed to be 33.60 pounds by the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF).
While the Dominican Republic is frequently utilized by transnational syndicates as a transshipment hub for South American cocaine, bulk seizures of hashish are rare in the country, making this specific confiscation highly notable.
Following the discovery of the illicit substance, the operational teams expanded their search radius along the entire coastline to locate additional evidence and apprehend those involved in the foiled smuggling operation.
What is hashish?
Hashish (often simply called “hash”) is a highly concentrated, psychoactive drug derived from the cannabis plant. While regular marijuana consists of the dried flowers and leaves of the plant, hashish is made specifically from the resin.
Producers separate the sticky, stalked resin glands (known as trichomes) from the cannabis flowers and compress them into a solid block or paste. Depending on the production method and purity, hashish can be brittle or malleable, and its color generally ranges from light brown to dark black. Because it is a concentrate, hashish typically contains significantly higher levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, than unprocessed marijuana. It is usually smoked, either on its own or mixed with tobacco, or incorporated into food.
Price comparison: Hashish, marijuana, and cocaine
Prices for illicit substances fluctuate significantly based on geographic location, purity, local demand, and proximity to production or transshipment hubs. However, the general economic hierarchy of these three drugs remains consistent globally.
Here is how they generally compare in terms of street value:
Marijuana (lowest cost): Because it is the unprocessed plant and is widely cultivated globally, marijuana is the least expensive of the three. Depending on the market, typical street prices range from US$10 to US$15 per gram.
Hashish (mid-range cost): Hashish is more expensive than marijuana per gram. This is because it is a concentrate; it requires a much larger volume of raw cannabis plants to extract enough resin to produce a single gram of hashish. Prices typically range from US$15 to US$30+ per gram, varying heavily by quality and the extraction process used.
Cocaine (highest cost): Cocaine is drastically more expensive than both marijuana and hashish. Its high price is driven by the complex chemical extraction process required to convert coca leaves into powder, as well as the immense logistical risks and costs of international smuggling from South America. In destination markets like the United States or Europe, cocaine typically ranges from US$70 to US$100+ per gram.
DNCD reported in its press release that at the time of the intervention, several individuals found in the immediate vicinity were detained for questioning and further investigation.
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DNCD
29 April 2026