Distributors in the Dominican Republic are taking New York City condoms dispersed for free in the five boroughs and selling them for cash back home.
The NYC-branded condoms can be found in stores from Santo Domingo to the beach town of Las Galeras, where pharmacist Francisco Pallano reported working with an unidentified wholesaler to purchase the contraceptives.
"We buy them from a provider here in the Republic," Las Galeras Pharmacy worker Pallano told the New York Daily News. "They distribute them to any pharmacy that wants them."
Las Galeras, which also carries pregnancy tests and other forms of contraception, sells the condoms for about 50 cents apiece - compare that to its stock of Durex condoms, which go for well over a dollar each.
The condoms are provided by the New York City Health Department, which distributes nearly 38 million a year as part of an anti-STI push in the city. The rubbers are made by Ansell, the same company that manufactures LifeStyles condoms. Nearly 3,500 nonprofit organizations and businesses put the NYC condoms out for free in their offices, bars, barbershops and medical facilities.
Market intelligence firm Euromonitor International first noticed that Dominican Republic pharmacies and stores were selling the NYC condoms in a 2012 report.
According to the Daily News, researchers discovered the free contraceptives in corner shops around smaller cities like Esperanza and the capital of Santo Domingo alike.
"The NYC brand is intended for free distribution to high-risk populations in New York City and is increasingly smuggled into the Dominican Republic and resold illegally," the report stated.
Officials from the Health Department told the Daily News they'd encountered some New York City businesses sending the free condoms outside the United States, resulting in more than five companies' removal from the program. One business was confirmed to be sending condoms to the Dominican Republic.
"We estimate that the lost condoms are a very small percentage of overall distribution," an unnamed department spokesperson told the Daily News.
City Councilman and chairman of the Health Committee Corey Johnson stressed that the condoms were meant to stay in the U.S., but he hoped they'd do some good outside of the country.
"We should ensure that no one is taking condoms from places in New York City where they are needed and selling them for profit out of the country," he said. "If they're ending up in the Dominican Republic, I hope people are using them."
