The U.S. ambassador in the Dominican Republic shut down the Drug Enforcement Administration office there as the U.S. federal government investigated allegations tied to a visa program used to bring foreign informants into the country, according to U.S. officials who briefed the Associated Press.
In a statement on X on Thursday, Ambassador Leah F. Campos wrote that closing the DEA office without providing a reason was prompted by what she characterized as misuse of official capacity. She said it was a “disgusting and disgraceful violation of public trust to use one’s official capacity for personal gain,” and added, “I will not tolerate even the perception of corruption anywhere in the Embassy I lead.”
The arrest that preceded the closure involved a DEA supervisor at the U.S. office in the Dominican Republic, the officials said. They said Melitón Cordero was taken into custody as part of an investigation led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security into abuse of a U.S. visa program for confidential informants.
The officials, who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, did not provide additional details about the circumstances of the arrest, and they said messages to Cordero’s cellphone were not immediately returned. The DEA and Homeland Security did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Domestically, the move came as the administration shuttered the anti-narcotics office in the Caribbean nation, framing the action as part of a U.S. investigation rather than a response to the Dominican government. Dominican Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Álvarez told the AP that the closure had nothing to do with the Dominican government and was instead part of an internal U.S. investigation.
The visa program at the heart of the probe has been used by multiple U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the DEA and the FBI, to sponsor foreign nationals who might otherwise be ineligible to enter the United States due to their association with criminal activity. Over time, many of the sponsored individuals may become eligible for permanent residency, the AP reported.
A 2019 report by a U.S. Justice Department watchdog found lapses in the visa program, including that law enforcement had lost track of as many as 1,000 sponsored individuals. The AP said the watchdog warned that the gaps could pose risks to public safety or national security because of the individuals’ involvement with criminal activity.
The Dominican Republic has long been treated as a key partner location for U.S. drug enforcement, given its role as a transit zone for narcotics leaving South America. In late November, Dominican President Luis Abinader said he authorized the U.S. government to operate in restricted areas at San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport to support efforts against drug trafficking.
In the days leading into Thursday’s closure, the U.S. side did not publicly provide a detailed explanation of the decision to shut the office “until further notice,” but the ambassador’s message pointed to the alleged misuse of an official platform—at least in part—by conduct under review in the visa program investigation.