Controversial US Anti-Narcotics Operation Sparks Tension in the Caribbean

The Dominican Republic retrieved cocaine from a speedboat destroyed by the US Navy amid a contentious anti-narcotics mission. This joint operation with the US is the first of its kind. Despite claims of success, human rights groups and Democratic senators oppose the strikes, viewing them as extrajudicial killings.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic announced the seizure of cocaine from a speedboat destroyed recently by the US Navy, part of a divisive anti-narcotics initiative by the Trump administration targeting the southern Caribbean.

The Dominican Republic's National Directorate for Drug Control revealed at a press conference that 377 packages of cocaine were retrieved from a boat allegedly carrying 1,000 kilos. The vessel was destroyed approximately 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata, in coordination with U.S. authorities.

This marks the first collaborated operation against narco-terrorism in the Caribbean by the two nations. However, the mission has faced criticism, as human rights groups decry the strikes as extrajudicial killings. At the same time, U.S. senators are pushing for legislation to halt the military actions amid claims associating Venezuelan leadership with drug trafficking.

(With inputs from agencies.)