U.S. Embassy Shutters DEA Office in the Dominican Republic Over Corruption Concerns

MIAMI - The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, announced the closure of its Drug Enforcement Agency office in the Caribbean country on Thursday.

U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Leah Campos, posted on social media, “I will not tolerate even the perception of corruption anywhere in the Embassy I lead”, suggesting findings of impropriety by DEA officials after an internal investigation was reportedly launched by the office.

Campos also added, “It is a disgusting and disgraceful violation of public trust to use one’s official capacity for personal gain.”

Dominican Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Álvarez issued a statement confirming that he has met with Ambassador Campos regarding the embassy’s decision to close the DEA office, emphasizing that “it categorically has no relationship whatsoever with the Dominican government or official.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also wrote on X that he had been made aware of the ambassador’s decision.

The move comes amid the United States’ expanding securitization of the region as the Trump administration cracks down on the tide of illicit drug trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean basin.

Dominican authorities have partnered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency since 2002, when the office was established in the capital of Santo Domingo.

In September 2025, Dominican authorities, in a joint operation with the U.S. Navy, seized 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of cocaine from a speedboat that was destroyed 80 nautical miles south of Beata Island, likely struck by the U.S. military.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, has played a pivotal role as a strategic stopover for criminal drug trafficking networks profiting from the distribution of large quantities of illicit narcotics to prominent crime organizations in Europe.