Dominican Republic drug crackdown yields 20 arrests, 9 kg seized and two suspects extradited to the U.S

During coordinated operations by the Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas (DNCD), the public prosecutor and the National Police, agents raided multiple neighborhoods in Santo Domingo Norte. Twenty people were detained and more than 9,600 grams of suspected cocaine, marijuana and crack were seized, along with radios, scales, weapons and cash.

In a separate airport inspection at the Las Américas International Airport, DNCD agents uncovered a gift box containing 83 pills allegedly concealed in the seams of a blouse. The package, reportedly sent from Santo Domingo Este to an address in Monticello, New York, is being investigated as an attempted international cocaine shipment.

The Dominican authorities also extradited two nationals, Luis Ezequiel Then Martínez and Carlos Pisandro Peña Tejeda, to the United States. Both face New York court charges for large‑scale drug trafficking, organized‑crime conspiracies and possession of controlled substances. The extraditions were carried out with the support of U.S. Marshals, demonstrating ongoing bilateral cooperation against transnational narcotics networks.