On July 13th the Dominican Republic Health Minister, Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas, announced that the Government is carrying out intelligence operations to detect clandestine laboratories to fight the production of falsified drugs. The government expects that with the sustained application of this measure, the sale and distribution of licensed drugs will be encouraged. They expect results in the next few months.

Sanchez Cárdenas explained how the Ministry of Health is executing a plan to stop the drugs falsification, working with various national institutions such as the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Crimes and Crimes against Health (PEDECSA) and the General Directorate of Drugs, Food and Health Products (DIGEMAPS), created by President Danilo Medina´s Decree 82-15. This last institution is the competent body in matters of regulation, control and monitoring of drugs.

“The secrecy and falsification of drugs is an illegal practice that puts the lives of consumers at risk,” said the minister. Therefore, the Ministry (through the National Intelligence Community) is training policemen to support the DIGEMAPS in the detection, manufacture and marketing of falsified drugs.