Agents of the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), with the Public Ministry and the Specialized Corps for Airport Security and Civil Aviation (CESAC), intervened a suspicious parcel in a cargo area of Las Américas International Airport in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo province.[1] Authorities reported no detentions in the operation and did not disclose the listed sender or recipient of the parcel.[1] The Public Ministry and the DNCD opened an investigation to identify those responsible for the shipment and to establish its final destination.[1]
The box had arrived from Miami and drew attention during controls at Las Américas International Airport José Francisco Peña Gómez.[1] Inside a bench seat inside the box, authorities found 11 packages of suspected marijuana.[1] X-ray operators had observed elements that did not match the declared contents and notified the operational units in the area.[1] The acting prosecutor ordered a broader inspection, and a dog trained to detect controlled substances marked the box, leading to its opening.[1] The packages were hidden in tubes and plastic wraps in interior spaces of the furniture frame that had been covered to simulate a conventional seat.[1] The DNCD said this concealment method exploits hollows in wooden frames, replacing padding with drug packages before adding outer upholstery to reduce detection chances.[1]
The plant material was packed and sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF), which must determine its composition, weight and characteristics.[1] Until that analysis is known, authorities treat the material as suspected marijuana.[1] The drugs will remain in custody while INACIF completes the analyses requested by the Public Ministry.[1] The seizure occurred in a terminal that handles an important share of the Dominican Republic’s air passenger and cargo movement, where controls combine scanners, physical inspections and canine units to detect drugs hidden in luggage, parcels and goods.[1]
