Dominican authorities have seized 9.5 tons of drugs, “presumably cocaine,” in a port in the south of the country, in an operation that is unprecedented in its magnitude, as highlighted by the National Directorate of Drug Control (DNCD).
“It is a resounding and hard blow to drug trafficking structures and (it is) considered the largest shipment in the entire history of the Dominican Republic,” said the agency, which acted under the coordination of the Public Prosecutor’s Office together with other institutions.
The intervention took place in a terminal in the port of Boca Chica, located in the province of Santo Domingo, and involved an inspection of containers in transit after detecting “an unusual movement.” In a first search, the agents saw two open containers, one of them already empty, and activated the protocol that concluded with the detection of 320 bags of drugs.
Dominican authorities suspect that the objective was to transfer the shipment to a ship bound for Belgium. The seized cargo is believed to have reached a market value of 250 million dollars (more than 236 million euros), the DNCD said in a statement.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office and the DNCD are investigating at least ten people linked to the port for their possible collaboration in smuggling activities.
