In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, nearly a dozen suspects were apprehended by U.S. and Dominican authorities during a collaborative operation aimed at dismantling a drug trafficking network in the region. The Dominican Republic’s Anti-Drug Agency, alongside agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Southern Command, conducted the operation across the Caribbean country in the early hours of the morning.

According to officials, the suspects, including alleged leaders of the ring identified as Rafael Ynoa Santana and Isidoro Rotestan Clase, are said to have orchestrated the trafficking of drugs from South America into the Dominican Republic and nearby Puerto Rico, before distributing them to the United States and Europe. It remains uncertain at this time whether the detainees have legal representation.

Reports indicate that the drug trafficking ring has been connected to the seizure of over two tons of drugs within the Dominican Republic.