Dominican Republic authorities announced Tuesday that they intercepted a boat carrying 1.5 tons of cocaine after an intense pursuit lasting more than 12 hours.
The high-speed chase, which began Monday near the country’s southern coast by Pedernales, involved helicopters, boats, and vehicles. It ended with the arrest of three Dominican nationals and one Colombian, according to Carlos Devers, spokesperson for the Dominican Republic’s Anti-Drug Agency.
The 35-foot speedboat was stopped while approaching the island. Onboard, authorities found 53 bales containing 1,536 individually wrapped packages of suspected cocaine. Additional items recovered included a cellphone, 13 jerrycans of fuel, a cooler stocked with water and food, and a backpack with a change of clothes.
Devers described the bust as one of the country’s largest drug seizures. The Dominican Republic is known as a key transit point for cocaine shipments, many of which are destined for Europe.
This marks one of the biggest busts since December 2024, when nearly 9.5 tons of cocaine valued at $250 million were seized—the country’s largest on record. The second-largest seizure occurred in 2006, with 2.8 tons of cocaine discovered at the Caucedo port.
In total, Dominican officials confiscated over 46 tons of narcotics in 2024.
