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Dominican East region is new target for drug runners

SANTO DOMINGO.- The border zone with Haiti, once the major region for smuggling drugs to Dominican territory, has been displaced by the Eastern region.

As an example of the superiority of the East regarding the arrival of drugs is the this number: from January to July this year the authorities have seized more than 1,100 pounds of cocaine, heroin and marijuana.

Experts in the matter suggest that the amount which continues towards its final destination is always greater than the one seized. In order to introduce drugs small planes are used which fly at low altitude, and have on at least two occasion landed at night when vast stretches of the Eastern Motorway are desolate.

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Drugs in Dominican Republic come from Venezuela, says US diplomat

The constant drug shipments into Dominican Republic come from Venezuela, Tuesday stated US Ambassador to Santo Domingo, Hans Hertell, reported AP.

The US diplomat said that in order to counteract the clandestine landing of airplanes in the Caribbean nation, the US and Dominican Governments are coordinating several actions.

"We are working very closely with the Dominican Government to combat drug smugglers," declared Hertell to reporters.

In the last month, several light aircraft were found in the main freeway in the eastern region of the country, and authorities presumed they carried drugs.

However, Dominican anti-drug authorities said recently that the aircraft came from Colombia and were using Venezuela and Haiti as transit countries before landing in Dominican soil.