Agents of the DNCD, the Dominican Republic’s national drug-control directorate, and Public Ministry prosecutors arrested two men during an operation against drug sale points in the Barranca sector of the Juan Rodríguez municipal district, La Vega province.[1] The DNCD said the operation followed an operational intelligence order and several complaints received through different channels.[1]

Officers seized 615 grams of marijuana, not counting the non-cannabis drugs also taken in the raid.[2] The same operation yielded 699.9 grams of suspected cocaine and 15 grams of tusi, a synthetic designer drug, which are not cannabis and are not counted in the cannabis figure here.[1] Agents also confiscated a 9 mm pistol with its serial number filed off and a magazine with seven cartridges.[1] Officers took a bulletproof vest, two scales, two radios and a mobile phone, and RD$6,935 in cash, which Infobae put at about USD 118 at a rate reported for 17 September 2026.[2]

The DNCD said both detainees belonged to a microtrafficking network led by a man known as “El Menor”, whose base of operations it places in that part of La Vega.[1] The suspects opened fire on the units, and one of them was wounded in the left index finger during the exchange of shots.[1] Agents gave him first aid and took him to Hospital Morillo King, where he received five stitches.[1]

The suspects and all the evidence were placed under the control of the Public Ministry of La Vega province, and the drugs were sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) for analysis.[1] In a separate operation that day, agents of the DNCD, the airport security corps and prosecutors arrested a 21-year-old Canadian at Punta Cana international airport who was allegedly flying to London with 14 packages of suspected cocaine or heroin weighing about 15 kg.[2]