Dominican authorities bust major drug ring, including owner of airline

Santo Domingo.- Dominican authorities busted a "powerful international drug trafficking structure" with at least 15 people, the owner of the domestic airline company Carib-Air, among them.

National Drugs Control Agency (DNCD) president Rolando Rosado on Monday said it was a joint operation with U.S. agents and prosecutors. He accused Carib-Air president Rafael Rosado, of being part of the network, and owner of the plane that crashed in Constanza on Thursday.

At least 15 people have been detained, including Colombians, Venezuelans, Puerto Ricans, Jamaicans, Bahamians and Americans, who allegedly used local air terminals for trafficking drugs, including the twin engine plane that crashed in Constanza, killing the pilot and copilot.

In the press conference held in the DNCD headquarters, Rosado said the plane was one of those bought by one of the ring’s members, including the businessmen Sergio René Gómez Diaz and José Vicente Figueroa Ortiz.

Also the Venezuelan José Luis Veras Marquez, Alberto Laureano, aka The Pilot, of the U.S.; Harry Williams Nazario, Puerto Rican, Raymond Mario Perez, alias Max, U.S., Victor Hugo Sanchez Portes, Dominican; Danny Salvador Cabral Ramirez, alias Marcial, Dominican and Cristian Chavez, Dominican.

The drug came to the Dominican Republic from Colombia, to then be taken to the United States.

Rosado stressed that the network infiltrated air terminals in the country including Carib-Air’s owner.

He added that as part of the operation the authorities seized six aircraft, businesses and residences located in several provinces.