Santo Domingo.- The National Drug Control Department (DNCD) announced the confiscation yesterday of a box of plastic drinking straws filled with cocaine, which was being sent via private mail from San Francisco de Macorís to a New York City resident.

According to the report, the sender of the parcel was José Martínez from the neighborhood of El Águila in the northeastern city of San Francisco de Macorís. The intended recipient was named as Manuel Rodríguez, a Dominican resident of the Bronx.

The anti-drug agency said that a total of 34 drinking straws were found, weighing over 10 grams and filled with cocaine, which has been sent to the National Forensic Sciences Institute (INACIF) for testing.

“The sender disguised the straws in a box with photo frame, but the staff member who inspected the package suspected that it could be contaminated, on the basis of the place of origin and the destination of the packet, as was effectively established upon opening the box in the presence of other authorities,” explains the communiqué.