Largest Cocaine Seizure in Dominican Republic Triggers Investigations

The Dominican Republic has made headlines after seizing an extraordinary 9,500 kilograms of cocaine, a shipment linked to a drug trafficking route aimed at Europe.

In a groundbreaking operation, officials in the Dominican Republic have seized a staggering 9,500 kilograms of cocaine, marking the largest drug bust in the country's history. Discovered concealed within a bananas shipment at a port in the capital city, Santo Domingo, the cocaine was packed in 320 bags, with an estimated street value of $250 million (£196 million).

Preliminary investigations have revealed that at least 10 individuals connected to the port are currently under scrutiny, as it is believed that the bananas originated from Guatemala. Carlos Denvers, the communications chief of the National Drug Control Directorate, noted the ongoing efforts to thwart the traffickers, stating, “Many unknown individuals tried to transfer the drugs to another container that would be shipped on a vessel to Belgium.”

This monumental haul surpasses the previous record held by Dominican authorities, which was a 2,580-kilogram seizure at the same port back in 2006. The Caribbean has been identified as a significant transit area for drug trafficking from Colombia to European markets.

According to last year’s monitoring reports, the usage of cocaine is surging in several Western European nations, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, and Spain, with Europe accounting for 21% of the world's cocaine users in 2020, as per a United Nations report. This increased demand is raising concerns about public health, as evidenced by recent data indicating that drug-poisoning deaths in England and Wales have reached the highest level in three decades, driven by a 30% increase in fatalities involving cocaine.