Dominican authorities seize liquid cocaine in bottles

Santo Domingo.- In a major anti-drug operation, Dominican authorities seized the largest liquid cocaine shipment in the country’s history at the Caucedo Multimodal Port in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo. Over a five-day joint operation, agents from the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), the Public Prosecutor’s Office, forensic teams, and military security uncovered 137.28 kilograms of liquid cocaine concealed in bottles of juice and soft drinks.

The seizure stemmed from intelligence that led officials to a container destined for export to Spain. Inside were more than 46,000 beverage bottles. A suspicious substance in one bottle triggered the immediate activation of anti-narcotics protocols. The entire cargo—46,944 bottles, grouped into 2,786 bales—was transferred for forensic analysis by the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF), where 623 bottles tested positive for cocaine.

Authorities confirmed that drug trafficking networks are increasingly using innovative methods to bypass detection, which demands constant upgrades to enforcement strategies. Labels on the bottles bore commercial trademarks, but officials clarified that these brands are not implicated, as the products were acquired in bulk by an exporting company now under investigation.

The DNCD and the Public Prosecutor’s Office continue to investigate the criminal network behind the failed trafficking attempt and will release further updates as the case unfolds.