Dominican Republic authorities say they have seized 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of cocaine from a speedboat destroyed by the US Navy, in what officials called a historic joint anti-drug operation in the Caribbean.

In a statement posted on X, the Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD) said it recovered 377 packages of cocaine from the vessel, which was destroyed about 80 nautical miles (150 km) south of Beata Island. Footage released by the DNCD shows officers boarding the boat and inspecting bundles of drugs.

“This is the first time in history that the Dominican Republic and the United States have carried out a joint operation against narco-terrorism in the Caribbean,” the agency said.

The seizure comes as the Trump administration ramps up its military presence in the southern Caribbean, deploying eight warships, drones, and a submarine since early September. US officials argue the buildup is necessary to disrupt drug trafficking routes into the United States.

But the tactics have sparked international criticism. Human rights groups have accused Washington of carrying out extra-judicial killings, after US forces sank multiple boats in recent weeks, killing at least a dozen people. On Sunday, Trump confirmed via his Truth Social platform that he personally ordered the latest “lethal kinetic strike,” which killed three people aboard a suspected narcotics vessel.

Critics in Latin America have called the campaign “a great imperial hypocrisy,” arguing it pressures regional governments under the guise of fighting drugs. Still, the Dominican operation highlights how US partners in the Caribbean are increasingly being drawn into Washington’s escalating war on drugs.