“Frogs” cartel owned 1,000Ks cocaine seized in Dominican waters

SANTO DOMINGO.- The more than 1,000 kilos of cocaine seized Monday by Dominican and the U.S. agencies in the Caribbean Sea near southwestern Barahona, were owned by the cartel Norte del Valle (known as the Cartel of the Frogs according to a popular series which aired in the country).

The operation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drugs Control Agency helped by the Navy and the US Coast Guard began when the intelligence gathered noted that the shipment had gone towards Dominican Republic.

The speedboat with the cocaine departed from the Venezuelan side of Guajira peninsula, which Colombia also shares.

At the time the Predator spy plane was undergoing maintenance, for which a fighter jet was initially sent, and made the first sighting of the speedboat. The Predator was subsequently sent to conclude the interdiction which led to the arrests.

The four Colombians captured at sea by the DEA, Aluchom Castro, Arechelleo Bocaleo Ruben Bucaria and Micton Sretellea have Indian features, for which their fingerprints were sent to Colombia to verify their identity.

The drug was to be received in Dominican Republic and taken to its final destination from here.

The six hour pursuit of the boat began to midnight Saturday 280 nautical miles south of Barahona, until the drug was seized and the arrests of the foreigners, around 4am Monday, according to the report.

The DNCD revealed that it analyzes "highly sensitive" information with the DEA, to arrest what the US agency considers were the "contacts and key people" on Dominican soil.