The General Directorate of Customs (DGA), in coordination with other State entities, destroyed, this Thursday, 8,287,820 units of cigarettes of various brands, which were seized when attempting to be introduced irregularly into the country during the period between March 2025 and May 2026.
The illegal entry of these goods into the Dominican market would have represented the sum of RD$53,290,682.60 in evaded taxes.
These seizures are the result of joint operations carried out by the DGA Intelligence Management, with the support of the Dominican Republic Army, the Dominican Republic Navy, the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII), and the Public Ministry.
The Director General of Customs, Nelson Arroyo, reiterated the institution’s commitment to strengthening controls and fighting against smuggling and illicit trade, for the benefit of the productive sectors and the national economy.
“With these actions, we protect tax collection, promote transparency, and send a clear message that we will continue to firmly confront all practices that affect formal trade and the country’s economic development,” stated Arroyo.
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The official highlighted that this act of destruction does not include the recent findings announced through a press conference, also indicating that these efforts contribute to protecting public health by preventing the circulation of unregulated products, and strengthen national security and the climate of trust necessary to attract new investments.
“This is a hard blow to illicit trade. I must clarify that this destruction day is unrelated to the seizures recently carried out at the Caucedo Multimodal Port, as these are separate operations. The goods destroyed today correspond to previously completed processes, while the recent seizures are part of other control actions that also represent a significant step forward in the fight against smuggling and illegal trade,” stated the head of the entity.
For his part, Erick Pérez, representative of the Dominican Association of the Cigarette Industry (ASOCIGAR), manager and director of External Affairs for Philip Morris Dominicana, praised the work carried out by the DGA and the other institutions involved in combating illicit trade.
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“I believe that, beyond the destruction of the more than 8 million cigarettes carried out today, the most important thing is that we are closing one more door to smuggling and illicit trade. This type of action sends a clear message that the authorities are acting firmly and decisively against these practices that affect the country’s economy, health, and security,” stated Pérez.
He added that this coordinated effort by the institutions deserves to be recognized and applauded, because it demonstrates a real commitment to strengthening controls and protecting national interests.
The event was attended by representatives of the United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic, security agencies, members of the Illicit Trade Roundtable, members of ASOCIGAR, and high-ranking military and government officials.
The Illicit Trade Roundtable is composed of public and private entities, including the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM), the DGA, the DGII, the Public Ministry, the Ministry of Public Health, Pro Consumidor, the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), the Specialized Fuel Control Corps (CECCOM), the Specialized Corps for Land Border Security (Cesfront), the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD), and the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP).
The destruction of the cigarettes was carried out at the facilities of Residuos Clasificados Diversos (Resicla), located in Hato Nuevo, Los Alcarrizos, as part of the inter-institutional efforts aimed at ensuring compliance with current legal provisions.
