The Dominican Navy protects the island nation’s northern and southern coasts with the “Amphibious Shield” security initiative
The Dominican Navy launched “Amphibious Shield,” a security operation to combat drug trafficking and illegal fishing in the northern and southern regions of the country.
Dismantling organized crime groups which prey on the country’s natural resources through illegal activities is one of the initiative’s goals. The operation will also target organized crime groups which engage in an array of illegal activities, including human trafficking, arms smuggling, and the illicit transport of contraband, such as untaxed cigarettes.
The Office of the Chief of Staff for the Dominican Navy launched Amphibious Shield on January 18 by deploying three cutters and two interceptor go-fast boats to the northern and southern coasts.
Naval vessels deployed to northern and southern coasts
To protect those maritime regions, the Navy deployed the Coast Guard Cutter Canopus GC-107 and the interceptor go-fast boats Polaris LI-162 and Dubhe LI-164 to the Southern Naval Zone, while the mid-sized patrol vessel Capotillo PM-204 and the Cutter Procion GC-103 were deployed to the Northern Naval Zone.
During the first two weeks of the operation, the Navy captured 14 suspects, including eight Haitians and six Dominicans.
The Haitian nationals were allegedly fishing illegally aboard three shops off the coast of Montecrist in Dominican waters. And the six Dominicans were caught on the coasts of Samaná and Sabana de la Mar as they attempted to travel illegally to Puerto Rico.
The island nation’s location in the Caribbean makes both coasts attractive to organized crime groups, according to Wilfredo Lozano, director of the Center for Research and Social Studies at the Ibero-American University of the Dominican Republic.
“In spite of the institutional strength of the government of the Dominican Republic, an increase in drug abuse and trafficking in recent years in the Dominican Republic has occurred, due to its geographical location and the island’s many ports, where this sort of criminal groups can exert a great deal of influence over criminal activities,” he said.
The Navy protects the marine environment
Illegal activity also threatens biodiversity in the northern and southern coastal regions.
For example, some fishermen are pillaging thousands of small fish, Captain Daniel Eduardo de la Rosa told Dominican daily El Día
. Illegal fishing is one of the activities Amphibious Shield is designed to stop.
Since December, the Navy has interdicted three vessels involved in illegal fishing.
The Navy is also protecting natural resources such as the semi-precious stone amber, which is a tourist attraction along the country’s northern coast.
Other drug interdictions at sea
In addition to protecting the marine environment, Amphibious Shield will crack down on drug trafficking in Dominican coastal waters.
Even before Amphibious Shield was launched, the Dominican Navy and other security forces had made a number of large drug seizures in recent years.
For example, in April 2013, the Navy worked in cooperation with the Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD) to seize 279 kilograms of cocaine and arrest two suspects, officials said.
The Navy and the DNCD made the bust off the coast of Boca Chica, where security forces converged on a boat while three men were seen throwing drugs overboard.
In another operation, in December 2012, drug enforcement agents dismantled a narco-trafficking organization that was using go-fast boats to transport drugs into the country near the city of Baní, west of Santo Domingo.
Drug enforcement agents intercepted one of the boats and seized 10 packets of cocaine. Law enforcement authorities said they believed the drug traffickers had tossed at least 800 kilograms of cocaine overboard before security forces interdicted the boat.
“They are members of a drug trafficking network that imports cocaine from Colombia,” the DNCD said in a press release.
The Dominican Navy launched “Amphibious Shield,” a security operation to combat drug trafficking and illegal fishing in the northern and southern regions of the country.
Dismantling organized crime groups which prey on the country’s natural resources through illegal activities is one of the initiative’s goals. The operation will also target organized crime groups which engage in an array of illegal activities, including human trafficking, arms smuggling, and the illicit transport of contraband, such as untaxed cigarettes.
The Office of the Chief of Staff for the Dominican Navy launched Amphibious Shield on January 18 by deploying three cutters and two interceptor go-fast boats to the northern and southern coasts.
Naval vessels deployed to northern and southern coasts
To protect those maritime regions, the Navy deployed the Coast Guard Cutter Canopus GC-107 and the interceptor go-fast boats Polaris LI-162 and Dubhe LI-164 to the Southern Naval Zone, while the mid-sized patrol vessel Capotillo PM-204 and the Cutter Procion GC-103 were deployed to the Northern Naval Zone.
During the first two weeks of the operation, the Navy captured 14 suspects, including eight Haitians and six Dominicans.
The Haitian nationals were allegedly fishing illegally aboard three shops off the coast of Montecrist in Dominican waters. And the six Dominicans were caught on the coasts of Samaná and Sabana de la Mar as they attempted to travel illegally to Puerto Rico.
The island nation’s location in the Caribbean makes both coasts attractive to organized crime groups, according to Wilfredo Lozano, director of the Center for Research and Social Studies at the Ibero-American University of the Dominican Republic.
“In spite of the institutional strength of the government of the Dominican Republic, an increase in drug abuse and trafficking in recent years in the Dominican Republic has occurred, due to its geographical location and the island’s many ports, where this sort of criminal groups can exert a great deal of influence over criminal activities,” he said.
The Navy protects the marine environment
Illegal activity also threatens biodiversity in the northern and southern coastal regions.
For example, some fishermen are pillaging thousands of small fish, Captain Daniel Eduardo de la Rosa told Dominican daily El Día
. Illegal fishing is one of the activities Amphibious Shield is designed to stop.
Since December, the Navy has interdicted three vessels involved in illegal fishing.
The Navy is also protecting natural resources such as the semi-precious stone amber, which is a tourist attraction along the country’s northern coast.
Other drug interdictions at sea
In addition to protecting the marine environment, Amphibious Shield will crack down on drug trafficking in Dominican coastal waters.
Even before Amphibious Shield was launched, the Dominican Navy and other security forces had made a number of large drug seizures in recent years.
For example, in April 2013, the Navy worked in cooperation with the Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD) to seize 279 kilograms of cocaine and arrest two suspects, officials said.
The Navy and the DNCD made the bust off the coast of Boca Chica, where security forces converged on a boat while three men were seen throwing drugs overboard.
In another operation, in December 2012, drug enforcement agents dismantled a narco-trafficking organization that was using go-fast boats to transport drugs into the country near the city of Baní, west of Santo Domingo.
Drug enforcement agents intercepted one of the boats and seized 10 packets of cocaine. Law enforcement authorities said they believed the drug traffickers had tossed at least 800 kilograms of cocaine overboard before security forces interdicted the boat.
“They are members of a drug trafficking network that imports cocaine from Colombia,” the DNCD said in a press release.
This is interesting & good work acknowledged that has been going on love the professionalism that has been carried out …keep up the good work