Visitor from the US tells of her regretful experience at Samana airport

“We arrived at the Samana airport returning from a week’sholiday for my sister’s wedding for flight number 2731 at approximately 1:00pm.We checked our bags and entered the second security check with the x-raymachines.

“They made us remove our shoes and scanned our bags. It wasgood to see such an extra effort for our own security and safety. One of thecustoms agents pulled my husband’s carry-on bag aside and was searching throughit with a look like it was Christmas morning. He then pulled out and separatedtwo very expensive digital cigarettes as well as the 30ml juice bottles.

“He left the lower value ones in the carry-on bag andpreceded to put them in a bin while showing the other agents what he had found.My husband asked what the issue was. With very little communication he repliedno when asked if he could explain why the digital cigarettes as well as the30ml juice bottles were removed. Just our luck our brother in law speaksSpanish and he asked him and the other agents why those are being taken and hesaid they are not allowed on the plane.

“This is a false statement 30ml of bottles of liquid ecigarette’s etc. are allowed in the carry-on luggage. When we asked forgovernment documentation stating those laws he replied this is the Dominican!We even noticed a little head nod to the other agents as they all had thereturn looking in the bin.

“We waited for the rep from airline to come through thesecurity check who finally came twenty minutes before our flight was to leaveand asked her about the items confiscated. She basically told us that thoseitems belong to them now and there is nothing we could do.

“So when we asked her boss Alicia Reyes Rosado she told usthe same thing. Its not just the fact that we had over $350 dollars’ worth offully legal and safe items taken from us, It is very disappointing to witnessthe people that are elected as security officials do the very thing that theyare hired to protect us from. I have researched on the internet and this is notan isolated incident. And I hope for the sake of the beautiful country and therelationship with the tourist’s this stops.

Name of visitor withheld at her request