Agents of the Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas, the National Police and the Public Ministry detained 40 people during raids and searches carried out over the previous 24 hours in Santo Domingo Este, Santo Domingo Oeste and Santo Domingo Norte.[1] In Santo Domingo Este officers carried out 70 operations and arrested 30 people, including Jaime Luis De la Rosa López, Laury Jiménez, Romer Calderón Rosado, Albert Luis Ventura Mota and Michael Yoldan De Óleo Agramonte.[1] In Santo Domingo Oeste officers executed six searches and arrested Baldes Mallen Méndez, Joselito George and Rodolfo Algenis Castillo Ortiz.[1] In Santo Domingo Norte officers carried out 45 operations and two searches and detained seven people.[1] The 40 detained people were placed at the disposal of the Public Ministry in the corresponding jurisdictions for the legal proceedings determined by the authorities.[1]

The DNCD reported a total of 19,674.4 grams of drugs seized, of which 1,184.5 grams was marijuana: 555.9 grams in Santo Domingo Este, 20.4 grams in Santo Domingo Oeste and 608.2 grams in Santo Domingo Norte.[1] Across the three areas officers also held 11 precision scales, three radios, seven cell phones, five video-surveillance cameras and cash, including RD$15,225 in Santo Domingo Norte.[1]

The DNCD said the operations were part of the Joint Task Force strategy against the sale and distribution of narcotics, with the DNCD, the National Police and the Public Ministry acting together.[1] The seized substances were packed and sent under chain of custody to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences for analysis.[1]