|
Articles
classified as personal baggage have no
problem clearing Customs. You are allowed to bring two liters of alcoholic liquor, 200
cigarettes, and gift articles to the value
of US$ 1,000.
However,
depending on where your flight originated
and the tourist sensibility of the customs
inspector welcoming you, he/she will either
let you go through with a pleasant smile
hardly inspecting your bags; will ask you
to show him/her its contents, or, he/she
will inspect them silently, under the
protection of Dominican law.
If
you are traveling on a business trip, for
health purposes or on vacation, everything
will undoubtedly turn out well.
If, on the contrary, you are part of
a group smuggling firearms, explosives, or
illegal drugs, you will probably find
yourself face to face with an Interpol
agent.
In
the Dominican Republic, the traffic,
possession and consumption of illegal drugs
is penalized by law.
Law
No. 50-88 on Drugs, in force in the
Dominican Republic, states the following:
a) Opium in all its forms;
b) All derivatives (alkaloids, salts,
compounds,
preparations or synthetic substitution);
c) Coca
(Erthoxilon Coca);
d) Cocaine, its derivatives or
synthetic
substitutes or any compound in which it is
used as a
base;
e) All plants of the Cannabinaceas
family and
products derived from them containing
narcotic or
stimulant properties such as
Cannabis Indica, Cannabi Sativa,
Marihuana and other herbs with similar
properties”.
Sanctions
The
sanctions applicable to infractions of the
aforementioned legal provisions are:
- For
simple possession, there is a fine of
RD$ 500.00 to RD$ 2,000 or imprisonment
from six months to two years, or both.
There is no bail.
- When
the drug confiscated or involved in the
operation falls under the Dealer or
Seller category, the penalty is RD$
10,000 to RD$ 50,000 and imprisonment
from three to ten years.
There is no bail.
- When
the drugs confiscated or implicated in
the operation fall under the Smuggler
(Trafficker) category, the
penalty is RD$ 50,000 to RD$ 250,000,
and imprisonment from five to twenty
years with forced labor.
There is no bail.
|
