A supervisor at the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s office in the Dominican Republic has been arrested as part of an investigation into abuse of a US visa program for confidential informants, a current and former US official briefed on the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The arrest comes as the Trump administration has abruptly shuttered the anti-narcotics office in the Caribbean nation over what it said was a “disgusting and disgraceful violation of public trust.”
Melitón Cordero was taken into custody as part of an investigation led by US Department of Homeland Security, the two people said.
They spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
There were no additional details about the arrest and messages to Cordero’s cellphone were not immediately returned.
Neither DHS nor the DEA immediately responded to request for comment.
Earlier Thursday, US Ambassador Leah F. Campos said she has closed the DEA’s office until further notice without providing a reason.
“It is a disgusting and disgraceful violation of public trust to use one’s official capacity for personal gain,” she wrote on X. “I will not tolerate even the perception of corruption anywhere in the Embassy I lead.”
