The General Directorate of Customs (DGA) and the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) formalized a Cargo Profiling Agreement for the Port of Haina, with the objective of strengthening prevention, control, and risk management mechanisms in foreign trade.
The signing of this alliance represents a transcendental step in the joint efforts to strengthen the security of the international logistics chain, through the exchange of information and operational cooperation aimed at timely identifying possible threats before the arrival of cargo to the respective customs territories.
The Director General of Customs, Nelson Arroyo, stated that both the initiative and the procedure constitute fundamental tools to strengthen the response capacity to threats affecting international trade.
“The Container Security Initiative and the Standard Cargo Profiling Procedure pursue a very clear objective: to strengthen collaboration to more effectively combat the various illicit activities that unfortunately affect not only the Dominican Republic, but the entire world,” stated Arroyo.
The head of the tax collection entity pointed out that, given the constant evolution of cross-border crime, cooperation between customs administrations is a key element to ensure a more effective response.
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“We all know that customs have very clear objectives. On one hand, to facilitate trade; but, at the same time, that facilitation must not prevent us from combating illicit activities or dealing decisive blows to organized crime. This initiative and this agreement, especially in a port as important as Haina, add significant value and will strengthen our operational capacity,” he indicated.
During the event, the regional attaché for the Caribbean of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Abdias Ortiz, valued the scope of this new stage of bilateral cooperation and recalled the nearly 20 years of joint work between both institutions.
“We are very happy that, after many years of collaborating with the General Directorate of Customs of the Dominican Republic, we have reached such an important point. This year we celebrate approximately 20 years of formal collaboration with the Dominican Republic Customs,” stated Ortiz.
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The U.S. official also highlighted that this agreement will allow for the expansion of joint efforts in security and trade facilitation.
“We will continue working together against crime and promoting trade facilitation, sharing information and intelligence constantly. That is why we are very happy to continue collaborating now at the Port of Haina, officially and formally, through this agreement that we are going to sign today,” he stated.
As part of the agreement, the scope of the Container Security Initiative (CSI) is extended to the Port of Haina, reaffirming the shared commitment of both nations to the protection of the international supply chain and the facilitation of increasingly secure, transparent, and efficient trade.
The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) derived from this agreement will allow for the establishment of coordination and cargo profiling mechanisms focused on the detection and prevention of illicit activities linked to drug trafficking, smuggling, firearms trafficking, the transport of chemical precursors, intellectual property rights violations, and other infractions of common interest.
Beyond strengthening controls, this strategic alliance contributes to increasing the confidence of international markets, improving the integrity of the logistics chain, and supporting the competitiveness of Dominican ports, which are key factors for continuing to drive the growth of foreign trade and the attraction of investments.
The event was attended by: Raquel Soriano, Deputy Director General of Customs; Rosa Fernández, Deputy Director of Free Zones; Gabino Polanco, Technical Advisor; Francis Almonte, Administrative Deputy Director; Frederick López, Deputy Director of Technology; Eduardo Rodríguez, General Advisor to the General Directorate of Customs; Degnis De León, Communications Manager, among others.
Also, Magdalena Collado, Targeting Officer for CBP and the Container Security Initiative (CSI), was present.
With this signature, the General Directorate of Customs reaffirms its vision of building a modern, secure customs management system aligned with the highest international standards, consolidating the Dominican Republic as a regional benchmark in terms of trade facilitation, border security, and international cooperation.
