Two Israeli citizens were arrested over the weekend at Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic after authorities discovered 16 packages of suspected cocaine in their luggage as they prepared to board a commercial flight to Frankfurt, Germany, the country's National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) announced on Saturday.
According to local reports, the two suspects, both 38, were identified as Daria Fedorova and Roman Fedorova. They were apprehended in the terminal's departure area after completing preparations for their flight to Europe.
Their plans unraveled during baggage screening. An X-ray machine produced images that immediately raised the suspicions of security personnel, who summoned a prosecutor to the scene.
A thorough search of the suspects' suitcases revealed the smuggling method: specially constructed false compartments concealed within double walls.
Seven packages were discovered inside the first suitcase, while another nine were hidden in the second. All 16 packages were tightly wrapped in adhesive tape and plastic bags.
Dominican drug enforcement, airport security agents carry out joint arrests
The joint arrest operation involved DNCD agents, personnel from the Specialized Airport Security and Civil Aviation Corps (CESAC), and local customs inspectors.
In addition to the suspicious packages, authorities confiscated three mobile phones, electronic equipment, sums of money in foreign currency, passports, and personal documents.
The suspects were transferred to the custody of prosecutors in La Altagracia province, who are expected to seek coercive measures against them on suspicion of violating the country's drug laws, specifically Law 50-88.
Meanwhile, the seized packages were sent for laboratory testing at the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF), which will determine the exact nature of the substance and its weight.
Authorities investigate possible international drug-smuggling network
The case, however, may extend beyond the two suspects.
Officials at the DNCD believe the alleged smuggling attempt may not have been an independent operation and are investigating whether the suspects are part of a "network that recruits couriers to smuggle drugs to Europe."
According to the authorities, investigators are now focusing on an international criminal network suspected of recruiting Israeli citizens as drug couriers to transport narcotics from the Dominican Republic to Europe.
The suspicions have gained further weight because this marks the second arrest of Israeli citizens at Punta Cana airport within just a few days, under strikingly similar circumstances.
On November 12, the DNCD reported the arrest of Dmitry Roy Fomin at the same airport after he allegedly attempted to board a flight to Germany with seven packages of white powder concealed inside a false compartment in his suitcase.
The latest arrests bring the number of foreign nationals detained at Dominican Republic airports on suspicion of attempting to smuggle drugs out of the country since the beginning of 2026 to at least 14.