On 11 September 2026, the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) and prosecutors, supported by national police, navy and air force units, ran simultaneous operations in the mountainous communities of Las Lagunas and La Barranca in Azua Province.[1][2] Authorities said the operation followed several days of intelligence work and aerial surveillance with drones and helicopters, and involved more than 50 agents and support personnel on the ground.[1][2]

At Las Lagunas, officers found 2,611 suspected cannabis plants and 5,520 units in germination, alongside radios, phones, spray pumps, tools and processing supplies; a woman was arrested and other people fled.[1][2] At La Barranca, several kilometres away, officers found another 2,753 cannabis plants and materials including sacks, tanks, a scale, generator and bag-sealing equipment.[1][2] Authorities reported 5,364 plants across the two sites, ranging from one to seven feet tall, and said all collected material was packaged under chain-of-custody procedures and sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF).[1][2] The DNCD said extraction and evidence-securing work lasted more than 25 hours and investigations continued for other people involved.[1][2]