In response to a recent statement from the US Embassy, President Leonel Fernandez said that his government would extradite any Dominican tied to drug trafficking that is requested by the United States government. Reaffirming his commitment to fight drugs, the President also said that he never knew the accused drug trafficker Quirino Paulino Castillo, who is awaiting his trial in New York City after being extradited from the DR. The President asked the audience to look for a picture of him with Quirino, assuring his people that: “You won’t find any.”
During his weekly talk to the nation on the government-run Channel 4, “The Presidential Agenda”, Fernandez said that the government’s attitude with regards to the different requests for extradition by United States government authorities would prove that the Dominican government was cooperating fully in the fight against drugs. The President blamed the increased criminality in the country on the drug trade, saying that drugs no longer cross the Haitian frontier, but rather are dropped from airplanes in southwestern province of Azua. Fernandez also said that he felt that the former administration did not have a clearcut strategic plan to fight drugs. Referring to the incidents in Azua, Fernandez said that in recent talks with President Chavez in Venezuela he requested assistance from the Venezuelan strongman since flights from Brazil and Colombia cross Venezuelan airspace before heading to the Dominican Republic to drop their illegal cargo.