SANTO DOMINGO.- While the Customs Agency retains more than 100 containers full of scrap metal from the East Haina and multimodal Caucedo ports to investigate if they are legal for the third time unidentified burglars stole railings from the Juan Bosch bridge, after the removal of military-police agents who were deployed there to thwart the thieves of wires and metals.

Customs said its agents meticulously check the containers, headed to China, Japan and India, after a tip that large, undeclared shipments of copper are part of the metal for export.

It said until the revision concludes none of the containers can exit and the exporter who declared scrap when in fact it is copper also would be penalized. “We’ll proceed drastically in case we find irregularities in the metal exported abroad, mainly if it doesn’t have due authorization from the corresponding authorities.”

Sources quoted by newspaper Nacional said Customs also investigates imported recycled waste and metals from Jamaica. “By means of that practice, many people, whom we’e stepping on their heels, are becoming millionaires in detriment of the state coffers,” said a Customs official close to the investigation.