Two Dominicans were extradited to Miami in a federal drug trafficking case

The Attorney General's Office and the DNCD coordinated the handover with support from the U.S. Marshals Service. (Courtesy: National Directorate of Drug Control) The Dominican Republic extradited to the United States Rafael H. and Domingo R., two Dominican citizens wanted by a federal court of the Southern District of Florida on a drug-trafficking-related charge, as reported this Saturday by the National Directorate of Drug Control (DNCD). The Attorney General's Office (PGR) and the DNCD reported that the two defendants were handed over over the weekend to U.S. authorities, with the support of the U.S. Marshals Service. According to the official statement, both were transferred under custody to Las Américas International Airport Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez, from where they boarded a flight bound for Miami, Florida. U.S. officers were in charge of the defendants' custody during the air transfer. The extradited men are Rafael H., known as "Pequeño" or "Viejo," and Domingo R., alias "Tyson" or "El Sobrino." The extradition request was filed by U.S. judicial authorities, who link them to an alleged criminal association to distribute cocaine intended for the U.S. market. The Second Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice issued the prior rulings that authorized the extradition. (Courtesy: National Directorate of Drug Control) According to the information released by the PGR and the DNCD, the Southern District of Florida court accuses them of criminal association to distribute five kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. The charge states that both knew the substance would be illegally imported into the U.S. The two Dominicans must answer before the court that requests them, where their judicial situation will be determined. The transfer took place after the Dominican authorities completed the handover procedure requested by the U.S. justice system. The PGR and the DNCD noted that the coordination with the U.S. Marshals Service was part of the cooperation mechanisms for locating and capturing persons wanted by other countries. The Southern District of Florida court accuses the detainees of conspiring to import cocaine into U.S. territory. (Courtesy: National Directorate of Drug Control) The extradition of Rafael H. was carried out in compliance with decree 610-26, while that of Domingo R. was formalized through decree 612-26, according to the authorities. Both provisions were issued by the Executive Branch after the rulings of the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, the body that intervenes in extradition processes that reach Dominican jurisdiction. The system contemplates a judicial evaluation of requests received from abroad before the Executive Branch orders the handover. In this case, the Supreme Court's rulings paved the way for the decrees that authorized the transfer of the two citizens to the United States. In their statement, the PGR and the DNCD affirmed that the arrest and extradition of the two Dominicans reinforce international legal cooperation and joint efforts to locate fugitives wanted by courts of other countries. The action involves Dominican and U.S. agencies in an investigation related to alleged international drug trafficking, a crime that usually requires information exchanges, capture orders, and judicial procedures among different jurisdictions.