Dominican extradition moved into a modern bilateral chapter with the 2015 treaty that entered into force in 2016. Nationality is not a refusal ground - Dominican citizenship will not stop a qualifying US request by itself. Supreme Court and Public Ministry practice can move quickly on narcotics, firearms, and fraud packages aimed at SDNY, EDNY, Florida, and Puerto Rico districts. Geography near Miami does not make informal return a safe adult path. Spodek Law Group P.C. intervenes before waiver becomes routine paperwork in custody and coordinates US defense before transport. Risk-free consultation. Call 212 300 5196 - attorney on call, 24/7.
2015 signed, 2016 in force - the modern DR-US extradition chapter.
The Dominican Republic modernized its extradition relationship with the United States in a treaty signed in 2015 and in force in 2016, replacing the outdated 1909 list model. Dual criminality is broader. Nationality is not a refusal ground. If someone is still briefing your family off century-old lore, they are briefing the wrong decade. Spodek Law Group P.C. fights under the live 2015/2016 framework - judicial process first, executive surrender second - while preparing federal defense for SDNY, EDNY, or Florida districts that dominate DR arrival patterns.
Nationality is not a refusal ground - plan accordingly.
Under the modern DR-US treaty, Dominican citizenship alone will not stop surrender. Families hear the opposite from relatives and end up unprepared. Other defenses still matter - dual criminality, identity, specialty, death-penalty assurances, and constitutional process - but citizenship comfort is a trap. We kill that myth on day one, then build the real record. Unlike firms focused on staying friendly with prosecutors, we tell you the uncomfortable rule first so strategy time is not wasted on a shield that does not exist.
Speed is a feature of Dominican dockets - hesitation is surrender.
Dominican extradition calendars often move faster than clients expect. Custody settings present waiver as routine. It is not. A fast court can still be a contested court if local counsel files early and US counsel simultaneously attacks the indictment. Many firms treat DR cases like volume removals. We do not.
Narcotics, firearms, and fraud packages into New York and Florida.
Practical geography puts Dominican extradition arrivals into New York and Florida federal dockets more often than people expect. Narcotics, firearms trafficking, fraud, and laundering theories dominate. Those corridors move fast after wheels-down - detention hearings and arraignments hit hard. We prepare that American fight while Dominican courts still review the package, so you are not starting from zero in a US jail phone booth. Call 212 300 5196 before a waiver erases the Dominican judicial runway you still have.
Do not confuse tourism proximity with soft US process.
Santo Domingo is closer to Miami than most Americans realize - and US agents act like it. Proximity is not soft process. It is pressure and speed. Agents push interviews, voluntary returns, and quick clears that finish leverage before a Dominican judge sees defects. Do not sign. Do not explain the case over drinks with someone flashing credentials. Everything you share with Spodek Law Group P.C. is protected by attorney-client privilege from the first word. Risk-free consultation. Ask us anything.
