SANTO DOMINGO.- Dominican, Venezuelan and United States anti-narcotics authorities worked together yesterday in the confiscation of more than 2,250 kilos (4,960 pounds) of drugs, the Dominican Republic’s largest bust in history.

Most of the drug is cocaine, but the remainder of the cache has yet to be verified by the Justice Ministry’s labs and arrived in the freighter Sierra Express, which left Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, with stops in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. Its final destination would have been Belgium.

The National Drugs Control Agency (DNCD) seized the shipment in the Multimodal Port Caucedo with Dominican Customs agents, the terminal’s intelligence service,  Venezuelan authorities, who provided leads in the operation, as well as the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. The Colombian registry freighter Teval would’ve transported the drug to Belgium..

The contraband was uncovered by the Customs Intelligence Department using the x-ray equipment recently donated by the United States Customs Service, when it conducted a process of testing and training in its use, whereas the DNCD used its canine unit to sniff out the drug in the container loaded with fruit syrup.

Dominican Republic is a major springboard for South American cocaine bound for Europe and the United States, and was included in the U.S. government's annual list, released Monday, of major drug-transit countries.