MIAMI (AP) — A supervisor at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's office in the Dominican Republic has been arrested as part of an investigation into abuse of a U.S. visa program for confidential informants, a current and former U.S. 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 U.S. 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, U.S. 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.”
Dominican Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Álvarez said the closure had nothing to do with the Dominican government but was part of an internal U.S. investigation.
Every year, the DEA, FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies sponsor the entry to the United States of hundreds of foreign nationals who might otherwise be considered inadmissible due to their association with criminal activity. Over time, many of the individuals, who are expected to assist investigators, become eligible for permanent residency.
A 2019 report by a Justice Department watchdog identified several lapses in the visa program, finding that law enforcement had lost track of as many as 1,000 sponsored individuals, posing risks to public safety or national security because of the individuals' involvement with criminal activity.
The Dominican Republic is a major transit zone for narcotics leaving South America and law enforcement authorities in the country have long worked closely with their U.S. counterparts.
In late November, Dominican President Luis Abinader announced that he was authorizing the U.S. government to operate inside restricted areas at San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport to help in its fight against drug trafficking.
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Mustian reported from Minneapolis. AP Writer Dánica Coto contributed to this report from Puerto Rico.
FILE - A Drug Enforcement Administration agent listens as President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Chris Gotterup extended his streak to nine straight birdies over two rounds on two very different courses. He ultimately settled for an 8-under 64 on Thursday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, leaving him two behind Ryo Hisatsune on a day of gorgeous weather and low scores for practically everyone.
Scottie Scheffler was the exception. He had to birdie the par-5 18th at Pebble Beach to avoid joining the short list — 12 players — who failed to break par.
“I feel like typically I'm good at scoring, and today I felt like I didn't score at all,” Scheffler said. “Anything that kind of went wrong seemed to be going that direction. I actually feel like I'm playing pretty well. Just one of those days.”
Hisatsune, coming off two good weeks including a runner-up at Torrey Pines to qualify for this $20 million signature event, had three straight birdies early in his round, made the only birdie on the par-4 ninth and finished with three straight for a 62 at Pebble Beach.
He was one shot ahead of Keegan Bradley and Sam Burns. Bradley played at Spyglass Hill, where the course average was about one-and-a-half shots higher that Pebble Beach.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, in his first PGA Tour start of the year, had a pair of three-putt double bogeys on the par 5s at Spyglass that caused him to settle for a 68.
Gotterup, who already has two wins this year, made three straight birdies to finish off his victory in the Phoenix Open last week, the last one in a playoff. From desert warmth to the California coastal chill, from carpet greens to poa annua, there was no change in his game.
A short birdie putt on No. 1, a 10-footer on the par-5 second, nearly jarring a wedge on the third, and on it went. Six holes into the round, he had six birdies.
“I was kind of just coasting along,” Gotterup said. “You don't really realize it in the moment, and then when you look up you're like, ‘Wow, I’m 6 under through six.' That's nice.”
Bradley chipped in from just off the green on No. 8 at Spyglass for a birdie-eagle-birdie burst, and he kept a clean card the rest of the way for the best score on the course that typically plays the hardest in calm conditions.
“It’s about as nice of a day as I’ve ever seen out here,” Bradley said. “The greens are soft but that gets them a little bumpy, too. So some of the putts are a little dicey, but definitely scoring is good.”
Pebble Beach can be a pushover with no wind, particularly the opening seven holes. That's where Hisatsune (five birdies) and Gotterup (six) made hay.
Scheffler, not so much.
It started with a clump of mud on his ball in the fairway on the par-5 second that sent his shot some 30 yards left of the green. He picked up only one birdie during that opening stretch, and then a strong breeze was largely into him on the way back in. And he wasn't particularly sharp.
He hit only two approach shots inside 10 feet (and missed them both), and he didn't make a putt longer than 8 feet for his round.
“I guess the challenge is making a bunch of birdies. That was a challenge for me today,” Scheffler said. “I’m looking at the leaderboard right now and it looks like 7 under gets you in the top 10, so scores are pretty low,” he said.
Burns didn't take advantage of the early holes, either. And then he birdied No. 8 over the ocean with a bold approach that settled 12 feet away between the back pin and the right bunker. And with the wind picking up a little strength, he had five birdies in a six-hole stretch to start the back nine. That included pitching in from just under 30 yards on the 13th.
Burns led the field in putting — it helps making from 45 feet on No. 10 and 30 feet on No. 17 — and kept bogeys off his card.
“I made a significant amount of putts and feel like I was hitting it pretty nice. It was a good combination for today,” Burns said.
Tony Finau and Patrick Rodgers each had 64 at Spyglass to join Gotterup in a tie for fourth. A pair of former Pebble champions, Nick Taylor and Tom Hoge, were in the group at 65. Another shot back was Jordan Spieth, who holed out a full wedge for eagle at Spyglass.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Rory McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, hits from the 17th tee at Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Sam Burns hits from the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Scottie Scheffler reacts before putting on the 18th green at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Chris Gotterup hits from the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Ryo Hisatsune, of Japan, slams his club into the sand of a fairway bunker at the 10th hole after hitting a shot during the final round of the Phoenix Open golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
