Croatian woman detained at Las Américas Airport over cocaine smuggling

Santo Domingo.- Agents of the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), working alongside the Public Ministry of the Dominican Republic, arrested a Croatian national wanted in connection with the seizure of 14 packages of cocaine at Las Américas International Airport (AILA).

The suspect was identified as Ivana Ljubek, 44, who was detained in the airport’s departure area moments before boarding a flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Authorities executed arrest warrant No. 2026-AJ0010503 at the time of her interception.

According to investigators, Ljubek is allegedly linked to the arrest earlier this month of a 21-year-old Croatian man found carrying 14 packages of cocaine concealed inside a backpack during an airport inspection.

Officials are expanding the investigation to determine whether the case is part of an international drug trafficking network involved in recruiting couriers of various nationalities to transport narcotics to the United States and Europe. Authorities have not ruled out the existence of an organized criminal structure operating across multiple countries, using the Dominican Republic as a transit point.

The suspect has been placed under the jurisdiction of the Permanent Attention Jurisdiction for legal proceedings. Meanwhile, the DNCD and the Public Ministry reiterated their commitment to strengthening interdiction efforts against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.