What type of searches are illegal in the DR?

[amolapaz]

I'm a black american male who has visited Santo Domingo four times and I'm planning on a fifth. On my third trip there on December of 2008, when I was leaving the country on my way back home. I was standing in the customs line. I was wearing a red baseball cap with a matching red shirt. Suddenly, a couple of narcotics officers pulled me out of line took me into a room and gave me an x-ray. Now, I wasn't doing anything except standing in line. I must say that I was insulted and dissappointed feeling that I was being racially profiled by individuals who were as dark as I am (obviously I wasn't dissappointed enough to stop visiting the country). Here I am a large dark-skinned black male, who in the hell would want to use me as a drug mule? However, I was not under the jurisdiction of the U.S. constitution so I had no intellectual position from which to protest. My question is...Does the Dominican Republic have any kind of protections in their laws similar to the fourth amendment of the U.S. constitution? And just in case anyone was wondering, the x-ray showed nothing and they let me go and I came home.

[TOOBER_SDQ]

The same has happened to me, more than once, and I am as white as the driven snow. Don't be so quick to play the race card.

Perhaps it was random? Or maybe it was the way you were dressed.

Did you ever consider that?

[acmike]

A single male travelling alone, regardless of race, is considered an individual more likely to be in possession of drugs or other contraband and the younger the more likely as well. It has nothing to do with race. See how the custom agents looks us in the eyes? The eyes are the windows of the soul, it has been said. They are looking for shiftiness and guilt. They can't search everybody and they try to narrow it down.

[Vacara]

Originally Posted by amolapaz

I'm a black american male who has visited Santo Domingo four times and I'm planning on a fifth. On my third trip there on December of 2008, when I was leaving the country on my way back home. I was standing in the customs line. I was wearing a red baseball cap with a matching red shirt. Suddenly, a couple of narcotics officers pulled me out of line took me into a room and gave me an x-ray. Now, I wasn't doing anything except standing in line. I must say that I was insulted and dissappointed feeling that I was being racially profiled by individuals who were as dark as I am (obviously I wasn't dissappointed enough to stop visiting the country). Here I am a large dark-skinned black male, who in the hell would want to use me as a drug mule? However, I was not under the jurisdiction of the U.S. constitution so I had no intellectual position from which to protest. My question is...Does the Dominican Republic have any kind of protections in their laws similar to the fourth amendment of the U.S. constitution? And just in case anyone was wondering, the x-ray showed nothing and they let me go and I came home.

You seem insulted (justifiably) but at the same time when you said "who would want to use you as a mule" you kind of justify their action.

Regarding your question the only right you have is to vent in this forum for as long as you want.

Hope you come back soon!.

[Squat]

Come on, guys ! Don't be so hypocritical !

Of course it has a lot to do with race: the guy is dark black, and if he was wearing those red hat & T-shirt in a rap/reggaeton style, he would look like a poster-child from a Hollywood movie, caricaturing a drug-smuggling gangster !

Just put yourself in the shoes of the DNCD folks, I can hear them from here: -"¡Mirate ese moreno! Vamo' a checkearlo, no se ve como un turi'ta... Ademas tiene que andar con drogas, ya que se viste como un tiguere..."

Just for a test, next time you travel, be dressed like you go to church. I bet you they won't search you ! (or at least, you'll have less probability...)

[bigbird]

As previously mentioned it was probably just a random search. I get picked out of the crowd just about every time leaving the DR. Upon arrival I am always the lucky guy to be singled out. I usually have a large cardboard box and this raises suspicion. Customs will open the cardboard box to inspect the contents but never bother to check my luggage.

If that is not bad enough I get extra screening when leaving my country because I have a lot of "electronics" in my carry on.

Just ignore it and enjoy the DR.

P.S.

Originally Posted by amolapaz

.......I was wearing a red baseball cap with a matching red shirt.......

Wearing red probably didn't help much either. LOL

[pyratt]

Always race...."Why they pcikin on me?" IT AIN'T RACE! It's a numbers game...and they pick single travelers because it's easier...(and they're most likely to be runnin dope)

Everytime I leave the U.S.A. I get pulled from the line and stuck in the "puffer" scanned for explosives...I do not look like or practice Islam...nor do I dress like a thug....they pull "me".

I was stopped (bumped) by two DR plain clothes guys my very first trip leaving SDQ....spoken to, let go, then SEARCHED as I walked down the gangway to the plane....they pulled me out, searched my bag, took my disposible razor and sent me on my way.

I've been looked at every time I leave SDQ because I carry close to 20 bags of coffee back to the U.S. every trip...at one point the x-ray girl knew me....and they simply "verified" my back pack. I show them the receipt for the coffee purchase....and it's done.

Anyone can carry dope...big black guys, big white guys, medium height Europeans, Chinese....you name it there's "one" in a jail somewhere for DOPE.

When I buy I deck of cards, I always throw "the Jokers" away...do the same with the deck of cards of life......throw the race card away and start living....and as a few other posters have said....dress accordingly...and if you must, dress down...just to avoid the hassle.

[jrhartley]

the search function is legal on dr1,so I beleive

[Chip]

I'm a single white male who travels alone frequently enough from the DR and while they don't put me personally through the xray, they have checked my bags on occaision after it goes through the scanner. The drug guys have confronted me and asked me questions as well.

What's funny though is when I get in the States they seem to do an explosives check on me, I think I've had 5 or 6 to date.

[Black Dog]

You know at the end of the day they are all just employed to try and make the world a safer place!