In a week-long series of nationwide security and border enforcement operations held between September 14 and 20, 2026, the Dominican Republic Army (Ejército de República Dominicana, ERD) has carried out major crackdowns on cross-border illicit activity, detaining more than 3,600 irregular Haitian migrants and confiscating tens of thousands of prohibited smuggled goods, official military records confirm.
Per the service’s freshly released weekly operational briefing, the seizures and detentions formed part of the ERD’s sustained ongoing missions: stepped-up border surveillance, enhanced nationwide territorial security protocols, and strict immigration control enforcement that targets unauthorized entry and contraband trafficking networks.
Among the more than 31,000 seized contraband units were 29,400 packs of contraband cigarettes, 1,434 bottles of unregulated rum, and 115 bottles of untaxed whiskey. The vast majority of the cigarette seizures were executed by frontline troops assigned to the ERD’s 4th and 5th Infantry Brigades, which are responsible for patrolling high-traffic smuggling corridors along the country’s border.
Beyond contraband and immigration enforcement, military authorities also took 14 individuals into custody who have since been transferred to the national judicial system to face formal charges. Twelve of these detainees face felony charges linked to human smuggling networks that facilitate the entry of undocumented migrants, while the remaining two were arrested on suspicion of illegal firearms possession.
As part of the ERD’s targeted crackdown on illicit activity along the Dominican-Haitian border, operation teams also impounded 52 vehicles used by smuggling networks: 43 motorcycles, four passenger sedans, five sport utility vehicles, and one minivan. Troops with the ERD’s 3rd Infantry Brigade also recovered two unregistered homemade firearms during searches within the brigade’s area of responsibility.
The weekly operational update also placed the most recent results in context of the ERD’s broader month-long enforcement push. Between August 17 and September 13, 2026, the service’s nationwide operations netted more than 536,000 contraband items, 84 portions of marijuana, and 131 vehicles, while detaining nearly 9,900 migrants with irregular immigration status.
In a closing statement, ERD leadership reaffirmed that the military will continue ramping up its operational presence in border regions as part of long-term national commitments to dismantle transnational illicit networks, safeguard public and territorial security, and defend the Dominican Republic’s sovereign borders.