Authorities in the Dominican Republic announced today that they have seized 9.5 tons of a substance suspected to be cocaine, marking the largest such seizure in the country’s history.
The drugs were discovered in two containers, with a total of 320 bags containing 9,588 kilograms of the suspected cocaine. The shipment was intended for Belgium, according to Carlos Devers, Communications Director at the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), during a press conference.
The seizure took place at the Caucedo de Boca Chica port, near the capital city of Santo Domingo.
The drugs were found in two containers of bananas that had arrived from Guatemala and were destined for Belgium.
“This cocaine seizure has never been seen before in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean,” Devers added.
The operation began in the early hours of the morning and was carried out in a convoy, with enhanced security, from the port to the DNCD headquarters in the capital.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office and the DNCD are currently investigating at least 10 individuals connected to the port and are continuing their inquiry into the shipment destined for Europe, Devers stated.
According to Devers, the largest previous seizure in the Dominican Republic occurred in 2016, when authorities confiscated 2,582 packages.
