On Sunday, September 21, 2025, officials in the Dominican Republic announced a significant drug seizure: a portion of cocaine from a speedboat recently destroyed by the U.S. Navy. This operation is part of the ongoing, and at times controversial, anti-narcotics efforts spearheaded by the Trump administration in the southern Caribbean.
During a press conference, the Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control confirmed the recovery of 377 packages of cocaine. It’s believed the vessel was carrying a total of 1,000 kilograms (approximately one tonne) of the illicit drug.
The speedboat was intercepted and destroyed approximately 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata, a small Dominican island. Dominican Republic Navy personnel collaborated with U.S. authorities to track down the vessel, suspected of attempting to land its cargo in the Dominican Republic, effectively using the nation as a transit point for cocaine bound for the United States.
A statement from the directorate highlighted the historical significance of this event, noting, ‘This marks the first instance in history where the United States and the Dominican Republic have conducted a joint operation specifically targeting narcoterrorism in the Caribbean.’
This operation falls under a broader U.S. initiative launched in August, when the Trump administration deployed a formidable naval force, including eight warships and a submarine, to the southern Caribbean, explicitly stating its objective was to combat drug trafficking.
According to the White House, this naval deployment has, to date, resulted in the destruction of three drug-laden speedboats in separate strikes, tragically leading to the deaths of over a dozen individuals on board.
However, these aggressive tactics have drawn criticism from human rights organizations, who argue that the strikes constitute extrajudicial killings. In response, two Democratic senators recently introduced a resolution in Congress aimed at preventing the administration from conducting further such operations.
The Trump administration has also asserted that at least two of the destroyed vessels originated from Venezuela. White House officials frequently characterize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a drug trafficker and the head of a criminal organization known as the ‘Cartel of the Suns.’
President Maduro vehemently denies these accusations, instead portraying the increased U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean as a hostile act against Venezuela.