[REVISION HISTORY]

Drug interdiction and DNCD agent arrests

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2026-10-22 15:00 UTC → 2026-10-22 17:12 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In Baní, Dominican Republic, authorities intercepted two boats carrying a total of 749 packages of suspected cocaine. The operations were conducted by the National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD), the Navy, and the Air Force, with support from the DEA and JIATFS. During the first interception south of Punta Salinas, officials recovered 10 bales containing 281 packages and discovered an exotic monkey on board. Two Dominican nationals, Fauricio López Ferrera and Leonardo Dominici Beltrés, were arrested. A second boat was intercepted in the same maritime area carrying 20 bales and 468 packages, leading to the arrest of Pablo Sebastián Escamarán Ric and José Miguel Pérez Arias. Both vessels reportedly sank during the operations due to heavy sea conditions. The investigation has expanded to include corruption within the DNCD. Two agents, Deny Manuel Sepúlveda de León and Oliver Guevara Rodríguez, were arrested at Miami International Airport following a DEA investigation that began in February 2026. The agents are accused of using their official positions to facilitate drug transit along the Barahona coast, specifically helping drugs from Colombia and Venezuela evade checkpoints. Recent reports indicate the agents may have been lured to Miami under the guise of attending a DEA training course. In a recent maritime operation off the coast of Baní, authorities intercepted a 23-foot ‘Go Fast’ style speedboat several nautical miles south of Punta Salinas. This 12-hour operation, supported by the US Coast Guard, DEA, and the Dutch Coast Guard, resulted in the seizure of 15 bales containing 389 packages of suspected cocaine. Two Dominican men were arrested and face legal proceedings in Peravia province. In a subsequent coordinated maritime, aerial, and terrestrial operation southwest of Isla Beata, the DNCD intercepted a 40-foot Go-Fast vessel near the coast of Pedernales.

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