In a coordinated operation by the Illicit Goods Table of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MICM), a network of illicit storage and marketing of pharmaceuticals and health supplies was dismantled in the municipality of Santo Domingo Este. 2,200 boxes containing 46,957,123 units were seized, with an estimated value of RD$531,993,450.00. The operation was supported by the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR), the Central Directorate of Criminal Intelligence of the National Police (DINTEL), the General Directorate of Medicines, Foods and Health Products (DIGEMAPS) and the Specialized Body for the Control of Combustibles and Trade in Merchandise (CECCOM).
The seized lot includes expired, counterfeit, adulterated, and unregistered pharmaceuticals, as well as gloves, masks, aprons, syringes, and belts. The network used a two-story house in the Los Tres Ojos sector as a warehouse. The trucks, truck, and vans used to transport the merchandise to CECCOM were part of the smuggling logistics that represented a serious threat to public health and tax evasion.
Operations and follow-up
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Yayo Sanz Lovatón, explained that the institutions of the Illicit Goods Table will follow each case to its final consequences. “We not only seized merchandise, but also follow up on each case”, he stated.
Legal framework
The actions constitute violations of Law No. 42-01 (General Health Law) and Law No. 17-19 on the Eradication of Illicit Trade, Contraband, and Counterfeiting of Regulated Products. Decree No. 405-22 created the Public-Private Council for Combating Illicit Trade for a strategic articulation between public and private entities.
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