U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Dominican Threat: A Strategic Assessment of Dominican Drug Trafficking: Executive Version

NCJ Number
169738
Author(s)
J B Piroch; C R Downie
Date Published
1997
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This report analyzes the transportation, distribution, and money-laundering activities of Dominican drug trafficking organizations, based on an analysis of information collected from multiple sources during 1996.
Abstract
The data came from current and historic baselines, intelligence assessments, and interviews of experts in the law enforcement and intelligence communities. The analysis notes that the Colombian drug cartels in recent years have increasingly used other criminal networks to transport their drugs and thereby limit their exposure and risk. Dominican criminal groups have emerged as a primary source of labor for these operations. Dominican transportation organizations use the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as their primary staging area for moving drugs to the continental United States. Dominican transportation organizations operate either as contractors or as independent operations. In addition, Dominican distribution organizations have emerged as a primary source of labor for the distribution of drug shipments from Colombian wholesalers in the New York City area to various retail groups. The analysis of money flows and money laundering also suggests ways for law enforcement to dismantle or seriously disrupt the operation of Dominican drug trafficking organizations. Further intelligence efforts are also recommended.