Abinader and the DEA strengthen anti-drug alliance

Santo Domingo — A high-level mission from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) visited the Dominican Republic and was received by President Luis Abinader to discuss collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking in the country and the region.

The DEA delegation was led by Daniel Salter, Principal Deputy Administrator, and Miles Aley, Deputy Chief of International Operations, along with other agency officials.

President Abinader thanked the DEA officials for their recognition and reaffirmed his Government’s commitment to continuing to work with the United States to combat international drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, and other illegal activities.

Also participating in the meeting with the president were Michael A. Miranda, DEA Special Agent for the Caribbean Division, and Kaleb T. Sanderson, DEA Attaché for the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

On the Dominican side, the meeting was attended by the president of the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), Vice Admiral José M. Cabrera Ulloa.

The president assured officials that the Dominican Republic will remain a key partner in regional efforts to combat drug trafficking.

After the presidential meeting, DEA representatives went to the DNCD headquarters, where they met with Vice Admiral Cabrera Ulloa and the agency’s senior staff.

During this working meeting, it was agreed to strengthen binational cooperation, including improving equipment and exchanging information in real time.

The objective is to confront drug trafficking structures, with an emphasis on the Cartel de los Soles and other criminal groups operating in the region.

Daniel Salter, Principal Deputy Administrator of the DEA, highlighted the level of collaboration between the Dominican Republic and the United States, noting that this alliance has been successful in combating and dismantling drug cartels as part of joint efforts in the Caribbean.

“We will continue to strengthen information sharing and international cooperation with all allied countries to dismantle these criminal structures that seek to bring instability to our peoples,” Salter said.

For his part, Vice Admiral Cabrera Ulloa of the DNCD praised the trust placed in the United States through the DEA. This factor has facilitated the fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime in the region.