First US-Dominican Joint Anti-Drug Mission Nets Major Cocaine Haul

Authorities in the Dominican Republic announced Sunday they have recovered 377 packages of cocaine from a speedboat destroyed by the U.S. Navy in what officials are calling the first joint anti-narcotics operation between the two nations in Caribbean waters.

The vessel was allegedly carrying 1,000 kilograms of cocaine when it was intercepted approximately 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata, a small Dominican island.

Why It Matters

The White House has vowed to crack down on drug smuggling into the U.S. with drug overdoses, particularly from opioids, killing around 105,000 people in the U.S. during 2023 according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

However, critics have questioned the legality of President Donald Trump’s actions, with the Human Rights Watch watchdog arguing they “amount to extrajudicial killings.”

What To Know

The Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control said the speedboat was attempting to use the Caribbean nation as a transit point, or “bridge,” to transport drugs to the U.S. The operation represents a significant milestone in bilateral cooperation against drug trafficking in the region.

In August, the U.S. deployed eight warships and a submarine to the southern Caribbean as part of what the Trump administration characterized as an enhanced counter-narcotics mission. According to White House officials, this flotilla has destroyed three speedboats carrying drugs in separate operations, resulting in more than a dozen deaths aboard the intercepted vessels.

The administration has linked at least two of the destroyed boats to Venezuela, whose President Nicolás Maduro is frequently characterized by U.S. officials as leading what they call the “Cartel of the Suns.” The current operation represents the first confirmed recovery of drug cargo following a vessel destruction, providing tangible evidence of the mission’s stated objectives.

Human rights organizations have raised concerns about the strikes, characterizing them as extrajudicial killings. On Friday, two Democratic senators introduced a congressional resolution seeking to halt further military strikes against drug trafficking vessels.

What People Are Saying

Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control: “This is the first time in history that the United States and the Dominican Republic carry out a joint operation against narco terrorism in the Caribbean.”

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social on Friday: “On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.”

He added: “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans. The strike killed 3 male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel, which was in international waters. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!”

What Happens Next?

The congressional resolution introduced by Democratic senators will require legislative review and potential voting to determine whether military strikes against drug trafficking boats should continue.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration appears committed to expanding the Caribbean anti-narcotics mission.

Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.