A major coordinated crackdown on illicit drug trafficking in the Dominican Republic has yielded a significant haul, as law enforcement and military agencies intercepted a large shipment of suspected synthetic marijuana in the southern province of Azua. The multi-agency operation brought together three key Dominican institutions: the Dominican Republic Army, the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), and the Public Ministry, all working in tandem to disrupt smuggling networks operating in the region.
The interception unfolded at a fixed security checkpoint located at kilometer 15 along a major transit route, where patrol officers pulled over a red Daihatsu commercial truck for a routine inspection. Initial observations suggested the vehicle was only transporting empty agricultural crates, but inconsistent information from the driver and suspicious behavior raised red flags for responding agents, prompting them to conduct a thorough secondary search.
Upon dismantling the apparent layer of legitimate cargo, law enforcement personnel uncovered 151 individually packaged parcels of the controlled substance, concealed beneath a stack of plastic containers to avoid detection. Preliminary on-site testing and weighing put the total mass of the seized drugs at approximately 160 pounds, marking one of the larger synthetic drug seizures in the province in recent months.
The operator of the truck, 36-year-old Henry Reyes Ferreras, was taken into custody immediately following the discovery. He is currently being held in detention and will formally face a series of drug trafficking charges under the Dominican Republic’s national drug control legislation.
In a statement following the operation, authorities confirmed that the seized suspected narcotic substance will be sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences for full laboratory analysis to confirm its classification and purity. Investigations remain ongoing, with law enforcement working to trace the origin of the shipment and identify any additional co-conspirators connected to the alleged trafficking ring.