Is Heroin legal in Dominican Republic?

Also known as: diacetylmorphine, smack

Legal status

Controlled. Heroin is the entry «Heroína» at number 11 of acápite II of Categoría I of article 8 of Ley 50-88 under identification code 9200, in the acápite that covers the derivatives of opium, and article 9(b) names «La heroína» among the drugs the law calls the most dangerous.

Consequences if caught

Heroin is diacetylmorphine and therefore a derivative of opium, which is the second limb article 7 names, so the trafficker classification attaches at any quantity. Article 7 is the harshest rule in the law and it carries no quantity at all: «Cuando se trate de LSD o cualquier otra sustancia alucinógena, lo mismo que el opio y sus derivados, en la cantidad que fuera, se clasificará a la persona o las personas procesadas como traficantes.» The effect is that the article 75 role scale starts at its trafficker band for this row rather than at simple possession, so the prison band is five to twenty years. The quantity scales that decide which of those roles a case falls into are printed for cocaine in article 5 and for marihuana and hashish in article 6, and Ley 50-88 prints no quantity scale for any other substance. The fine for a trafficker is not less than the value of the drugs seized and never less than RD$50,000, and for a patrocinador not less than RD$1,000,000. Article 59 adds five to twenty years with a fine of not less than RD$250,000 for taking a controlled drug into or out of the national territory in international traffic, and thirty years with a fine of not less than RD$1,000,000 where the Dominican Republic is the final destination. Article 58 classifies illicit trafficking, the manufacture, distribution or possession of equipment for producing controlled drugs, and the acquisition or laundering of the proceeds, as delitos graves to be punished with the maximum of the penalties and the fines, and its párrafo calls illicit trafficking an international offence. Article 85 doubles the penalty for a reincident trafficker or patrocinador and caps the resulting prison term at thirty years, and article 87 withdraws provisional liberty on bail, conditional liberty and the conditional pardon of the sentence from every offence in this law. Those figures are set out here because they describe the offences that this row's placement brings into play. Ley 50-88 provides no death penalty for any drug offence, and the highest prison term it prints anywhere is thirty years.

If prescribed or medical

Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form. If you are carrying any other controlled medicine, carry it in its original packaging with the prescription and the dispensing label, and confirm the requirement with your embassy before travel.

Documentation

The acápite that carries it reaches the salts, isomers and salts of isomers of every entry in it, so the hydrochloride and the base are both covered by the same line. Ley 50-88 prints no gram scale for any opiate. There is no medical cannabis programme in the Dominican Republic and CBD is treated the same as THC. The United States embassy warns of zero tolerance enforcement in which small quantities can lead to arrest, and it states that United States cannabis or medical marijuana cards are not recognised.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Dominican Republic’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.