The study “The Impact of Contraband from Haiti on Dominican Republic Finances” by Juan del Rosario and Rafael Sanchez reveals the considerable impact on government finances of the unchecked smuggling of merchandise over the Dominican land border with Haiti. The researchers calculated that an estimated RD$89 million in lost tax revenue, 60% would have been received by the Tax Agency (DGII) as sales taxes and 40% by the Customs Agency for ITBIS and import taxes just on the seized contraband
The researchers reached the sum tallying up merchandise seized by the Specialized Land Border Security Corps (Cesfront) at the four mainland crossings on the Dominican-Haitian border. These imports were valued at about RD$175 million. They estimated the Dominican government lost about RD$49 for every RD$100 in contraband.
Just over the New Year’s holiday, the border authorities reported the seizing of a large cigarette contraband. Some 1,060,000 units of cigarettes were confiscated. The Capital and Jaisalmer brand cigarettes were in 106 boxes and were smuggled on board a 25 foot long boat by three Haitians identified as Jhoan Bosni, Ismail Batista, Jony Joseph and Dominican Juan Bautista Ortiz. The men were discovered by members of Cesfront, the Army Intelligence Agency (J-2) and Navy Intelligence Agency (M2) some 20 nautical miles from Pepillo Salcedo in Montecristi.
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El Dia
Listin Diario
7 January 2020