THE U.S. JOINS WAR ON DRUGS WITHIN DOMINICAN TERRITORY

SANTO DOMINGO.- United States pursuit aircraft, Coast Guard ships and
armored helicopters will be used to erect a virtual wall around
Dominican Republic's territorial waters and airspace to intercept and
prevent drug airdrops.

The operations, coordinated by the National Drugs Control Agency
(DNCD) and the United States Drugs Enforcement Administration (DEA)
will extend to the border zones and have the logistical support of
the U.S. and Dominican governments in a joint effort aimed at
integrating the Haitian and Colombian authorities.

According to the newspaper Listin Diario, State intelligence sources
made the revelation last night, adding that one of those DEA military
aircraft is already parked in the San Isidro Airbase, with
sophisticated persecution and reconnaissance equipment against
possible illegal incursions of airplanes loaded with drugs.

Yesterday, the heads and coordinators of operations of antinarcotics
trafficking teams met in DNCD headquarters to design plans that will
be made operational in the next few days, with the use of aircraft,
ships and helicopters to persecute small planes or boats that violate
Dominican airspace.

Recently, an increase in drug airdrops has taken place from aircraft
which have managed to penetrate Dominican territory by air, loaded
with narcotics whose final destination is the United States and which
comes from South America.

The last Friday several DEA and United States Defense Department
officials met in the country with the senior antinarcotics
authorities to discuss plans to conduct in the next days.