On 15 September 2025, the Trump Administration submitted a so-called Presidential Determination to the US Congress, including the Dominican Republic as one of the countries described as “major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries. The statement is made on grounds of section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-228) (FRAA).
The countries mentioned are: Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
On the same day of the statement, President Luis Abinader dedicated the first part of his weekly press conference to present advances made in combatting drug trafficking. The Abinader administration can show night to day numbers in seizing of drug shipments compared to previous administrations.
On Monday, 15 September, he also presented Rebecca Márquez, director of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the Embassy of the United States in the Dominican Republic, who recognized drug combatting efforts of the Dominican government and said her country would endorse a Dominican candidate to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
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El Nacional
US Government
Presidency
Presidency La Semanal 15 September 2025
N Digital
17 September 2025