A supervisor for the US Drug Enforcement Administration in the Dominican Republic has been arrested and charged over his alleged role in bribery and visa fraud, US federal prosecutors said on Friday.
The arrest of Meliton Cordero follows the announcement on Thursday that the United States was closing its DEA office in the Caribbean nation over unspecified corruption allegations.
Cordero, 47, allegedly accepted thousands of US dollars in exchange for assisting foreign nationals in securing US non-immigrant visas, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
“This individual was entrusted by the American people to faithfully execute his duties and represent the American government abroad as a leader within the DEA,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in the statement.
“Instead, he is alleged to have broken the law, squandered this special trust and undermined the president’s immigration priorities. This behaviour by any government official is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
During his six-year assignment at the US embassy in the Dominican Republic, Cordero allegedly expedited at least 119 visa applications, including at least one that was fraudulent, the statement said, citing charging documents.
Cordero was arrested in Washington, D.C. on Thursday and charged in a complaint unsealed in federal court on Friday.
On Thursday, Leah Campos, the US ambassador to the Dominican Republic, announced the closure of the DEA office in Santo Domingo “until further notice”.
“I will not tolerate even the perception of corruption anywhere in the embassy I lead,” the ambassador wrote on X.
Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez said Campos had told him the closure was prompted “by an internal investigation at her embassy”. ”.
The Dominican Republic has sought to position itself as a key US ally in combating drug trafficking.
Last November, the country said it would allow the United States to use an air base and airport as part of an anti-drug operation that has since seen more than 130 people killed in strikes on boats that Washington says – without providing evidence – were trafficking narcotics.
