US Embassy closes DEA office in the Dominican Republic as it condemns corruption

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic said Thursday that she has closed the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office in the Caribbean country until further notice.

Ambassador Leah F. Campos did not provide details except to say that corruption has no place in any government.

“It is a disgusting and disgraceful violation of public trust to use one’s official capacity for personal gain,” she wrote on X. “I will not tolerate even the perception of corruption anywhere in the Embassy I lead.”

It was not immediately clear what exactly led to the closure of that DEA office.

Dominican Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Álvarez posted on X that he spoke with Campos and said the closure stems from an internal investigation within the U.S. embassy “and it categorically has no relationship whatsoever with the Dominican government or official.”

The U.S. and the Dominican Republic have long worked closely together on issues including drug trafficking.

In late November, Dominican President Luis Abinader announced that he was authorizing the U.S. government to operate inside restricted areas at San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport to help in its fight against drug trafficking.

Abinader made the announcement with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at his side.