Dominican Republic law enforcement cracks down on smuggling, migration and corruption

The Dominican Republic army honored three soldiers—Lieutenant José Miguel Recio Solís, Sergeant‑Major Miguel Reyes Figuereo Encarnación and Private Esequiel Encarnación—for refusing a US$16,800 bribe offered by two Haitian nationals during a July 15 checkpoint at El Guanal, Santiago Rodríguez. They received letters of commendation and merit medals from Major General Jorge Iván Camino Pérez.

In related border operations, the army detained 122 Haitian migrants in Dajabón and Santiago Rodríguez, seizing two motorcycles used for transport. The Directorate General of Migration reported a separate sweep in La Altagracia that detained 114 irregular migrants, bringing the national total of foreign nationals held that day to 986.

Customs and security forces also targeted contraband. Army patrols in Dajabón seized 50,000 illegal cigarettes and 48 bottles of rum, while Chilean authorities intercepted more than 3,100 cigarette packs in Alto Hospicio and halted a smuggling run of 50,000 cigarettes from Tierra del Fuego. In Barahona, police raids captured three suspects, seven firearms and a small quantity of white powder believed to be cocaine.

The Dominican National Drug Control Directorate recorded a 33.8 % rise in drug seizures for the first half of 2026, totaling 24,139 kg of controlled substances—primarily marijuana and cocaine—compared with the same period in 2025.