Fourteen skeletons of Senegalese and Mauritanian nationals were found on a boat off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic along with twelve packages of suspected drugs, the Dominican Navy reported in a statement on Tuesday (08/06/2024).
“After locating a vessel of unknown origin and manufacture on the coast of Rio San Juan (north), 14 skeletons with identities of Senegalese and Mauritanian origin were found on board,” the Navy said in the text.
The boat was found by local fishermen who subsequently called the authorities.
Inside, they also found phones, backpacks, Senegalese and Mauritanian identity documents, as well as twelve packages of a substance that authorities believe to be “cocaine or heroin.”
Local media, which published images of the bones found, said authorities believe the boat may have drifted due to the current.
The Navy said it would “continue to investigate this discovery in collaboration with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to determine the causes and origin of this maritime tragedy of foreign origin.”
The seized substance was handed over to the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) for the corresponding procedures.
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