Moment nearly $11 million worth of cocaine is removed from narco jet that crashed in the Dominican Republic

  • Authorities in the Dominican Republic recovered 288.87 kilos of cocaine off a Cessna jet that crashed Wednesday night
  • The aircraft was intercepted after crossing into its airspace and was ordered to land by a fighter jet 
  • The occupants of the Cessna somehow escaped 
  • The drugs have an estimated United States street value of about $11million
  • The National Drug Control Directorate said no arrests had been made

Dominican Republic security forces seized around $11 million worth of cocaine after the pilot of a Cessna jet carrying the drugs was unable to land safely and crashed.

The narco jet was picked up on a radar after it illegally entered the island's airspace Wednesday night.

It was chased down by an armed fighter jet before the cocaine-loaded plane crashed around 11pm in Oviedo, a city in the southwest province of Perdenales. 

A member of the Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorate removes plastic-wrapped packages of cocaine from the compartment area of a Cessna jet that crashed Wednesday in the southwestern province of Perdenales. A total of 288.87 kilos of cocaine, worth around $11million, were seized. However, no arrests were made

A member of the Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorate removes plastic-wrapped packages of cocaine from the compartment area of a Cessna jet that crashed Wednesday in the southwestern province of Perdenales. A total of 288.87 kilos of cocaine, worth around $11million, were seized. However, no arrests were made

A total of 288.87 kilos of cocaine that were split into 277 plastic-wrapped packages were found inside a Cessna jet that crashed in Perdenales, Dominican Republic, on Wednesday night

A total of 288.87 kilos of cocaine that were split into 277 plastic-wrapped packages were found inside a Cessna jet that crashed in Perdenales, Dominican Republic, on Wednesday night

Authorities inspect the wreckage of a Cessna jet that crashed with about $11 million worth of cocaine Wednesday night in the Dominican Republic

Authorities inspect the wreckage of a Cessna jet that crashed with about $11 million worth of cocaine Wednesday night in the Dominican Republic

Authorities on the ground recovered a total of 288.87 kilos of cocaine divided into 277 plastic-wrapped packages, the National Drug Control Directorate said in a statement.

At least 100 bundles were discovered inside a compartment. The drug enforcement agency said agents were canvassing the city for the Cessna's occupant(s) who somehow managed to escape.

The Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorate said the massive cocaine shipment was divided into 277 packages wrapped in plastic

The Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorate said the massive cocaine shipment was divided into 277 packages wrapped in plastic

Authorities initially located 177 packages of cocaine before discovering 100 more stuffed in the jet's compartment area

Authorities initially located 177 packages of cocaine before discovering 100 more stuffed in the jet's compartment area

Security forces in the Dominican Republic have not announced any arrests and are still looking for the occupants who were able to escape after the jet crashed

Security forces in the Dominican Republic have not announced any arrests and are still looking for the occupants who were able to escape after the jet crashed

The massive bust comes as authorities in the Dominican Republic, with the assistance of the United States' Drug Enforcement Administration, continue to investigate a drug trafficking ring dismantled in September. So far, at least 21 people, including three former and current government officials, have been arrested. 

The island's proximity to Central and South America has made it a strategic point for Colombian and Mexican transnational criminal organizations who set up partnerships with local trafficking networks in the Dominican Republic to move drugs into the United States, Europe and Puerto Rico.

A Cessna jet loaded with about $11 million worth of cocaine crashed Wednesday night in the southwestern Dominican Republic city of Oviedo

A Cessna jet loaded with about $11 million worth of cocaine crashed Wednesday night in the southwestern Dominican Republic city of Oviedo

According to the DEA's 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment, 'Dominican TCOs (transnational criminal organizations) collaborate with foreign suppliers to have cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl shipped directly to the Northeast from Mexico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.'

The report also indicated that, 'Dominican traffickers take advantage of Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. territory to facilitate commercial air transport of cocaine into the United States, mainly into the Northeast and south Florida.'  

'Dominican TCOs typically use small maritime vessels to transport cocaine and heroin from the Dominican Republic into Puerto Rico via the 80-mile stretch of sea known as the Mona Passage, and subsequently these traffickers utilize mail, commercial shipping services, and maritime vessels to transport illegal drugs to the United States,' the DEA found.