The ban on the transit of goods through the Dominican Republic aims to deprive criminal gangs of 60 to 75 million dollars annually, extracted through the extortion of containers; to limit their access to weapons, ammunition, and resources used to recruit more young people, said the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alfred Metellus, in an interview with Le Nouvelliste on Sunday, April 27, 2025.

“We have prohibited the transit of goods through the Dominican Republic (…) The main motivation is to control the flow of resources to the gangs,” said Alfred Metellus, whose estimate is based on a fee of 2,000 U.S. dollars per container, with a monthly volume of 3,000 containers. “These resources make the gangs autonomous and independent from all forms of external support or relationships. They allow them to supply themselves with weapons, ammunition, and even personnel. The goal is to break the flow of resources going to them,” Metellus continued.