Just four days after major drug haul, U.S., Dominican agents do it again

Santo Domingo.- Just one week after an almost identical bust, Dominican Republic’s antinarcotics authorities, helped by three U.S. agencies, foiled another drop-off at Ocoa Bay (south) by a cocaine-laden boat, chased into international waters where it was forced to throw 30 bales -around 900 kilos of narcotics- overboard, picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard.

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, the National Drugs Control Agency (DNCD) said it was alerted early Sunday and started a chase which ended with the escape of the boat’s crew believed to be Colombians.

The U.S. Drug Administration Enforcement (DEA) and the U.S. Coast Guard detected the boat with the drug, and immediately activated the Interdiction System with two Dominican Air Force Super Tucano planes, three Dominican Navy boats, a DNCD airplane and a helicopter, National Police ground units, Armed Forces Joint Task Force units and a Fast Reaction Unit, the DNCD said.

The chase of the traffickers’ boat, at least 40 feet in length "Type Eduardono" lasted a few hours, covering more than 70 nautical miles south of Ocoa Bay.

The agency said the U.S. Coast Guard took the bales of cocaine to Puerto Rico, as provided by a bilateral treaty between Washington and Santo Domingo.

Chase

“Once the drug traffickers detected an aircraft following them, they opted to head to international water, but around 160 nautical miles off the Dominican coast, the dogged pursuit its crew decided to hurl the load of cocaine into the water, comprised of 36 bales, each of which weighing more than 25 kg each, which would total between 800 and 900 packages of that drug," the DNCD said.

“Last week’s drug haul by Dominican agents at Playa Mia, also in Ocoa Bay totaled 1,589 packages, “representing a significant blow against drug trafficking along the southern coasts, as part of “Operation Sea Wall.”