The Dominican Republic has indicated that a boat targeted by a U.S. airstrike had been ferrying “approximately 1,000 kilograms of suspected cocaine.” 

That figure converts to more than 2,200 pounds, which is more than one ton of the drug.

The Dominican Republic indicated that its National Drug Control Directorate and its navy seized hundreds of packages of the drug following the American attack against the vessel. “The packages were sent, under chain of custody, to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) to determine their exact type and weight,” the country noted.

The Dominican Republic said Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, it interdicted 377 packages of cocaine 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata in a joint operation with the U.S. (X/@DNCDRD)

A U.S. government fact sheet about cocaine describes the substance as “an intense, euphoria-producing stimulant drug with strong addictive potential” and notes that “Tolerance to cocaine’s effects develops rapidly, causing users to take higher and higher doses.”