Two men arrested with unregistered Glock weapons in María Trinidad Sánchez province
The National Police arrested two men with 12 criminal records between them and seized two unregistered Glock pistols in the municipality of El Factor.
Arrest in El Factor: two men captured with unregistered weapons and multiple criminal records
The National Police of the Dominican Republic detained two men in the municipality of El Factor, María Trinidad Sánchez province, after seizing two unregistered pistols, magazines and ammunition whilst they were travelling in a black Hyundai Sonata vehicle, according to infobae.com.
Institutional spokesman Diego Pesqueira identified the arrested men as Carlos Sadiel Santana Goris, with eight police records and an exit ban from the country, and Ruddy Rafael Frías Feliz, 48 years old, with four records for various criminal offences. Between them they accumulated 12 criminal records with the institution.
The weapons and confiscated material
Santana Goris had a Glock model 23 Gen4 pistol, calibre 40, with a 9x19 millimetre barrel, serial number VCO25, black with mustard green, seized from him. The weapon carried a magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds and 14 rounds of ammunition. Pesqueira reported that the weapon was cleaned and did not appear in the corresponding records.
Frías Feliz had a Glock model 26 Gen5 pistol, calibre 9x19 millimetres, serial number AGPU184, also black with mustard green, confiscated, with one magazine and 12 rounds. This weapon also had no registration, according to the spokesman.
During the intervention, officers also recovered four magazines: two with a capacity of 30 rounds each, one for 15 rounds and another for 18. A mobile phone was also seized. All confiscated items remained in the custody of the authorities for the corresponding procedures.
To the Public Ministry
Both detainees will be made available to the Public Ministry, which must establish the legal classification of the case and request, if applicable, coercive measures before a court. The National Police did not specify whether the weapons are linked to other cases under investigation, nor did it detail the origin of the criminal records attributed to the accused.
The institution emphasised that the listing of police records does not equate to a criminal conviction. The responsibility of Santana Goris and Frías Feliz must be determined by the courts in the framework of the proceedings initiated by the Public Ministry.
Applicable legal framework
Offences related to the possession and carrying of firearms are regulated by Law 631-16 on the Control and Regulation of Weapons, Ammunition and Related Materials. Article 66 of that law establishes that the possession of a civilian firearm without a licence constitutes a crime, with penalties of three to five years' imprisonment, confiscation of the weapon and confiscated items, and a fine equivalent to between 25 and 50 minimum wages in the public sector.
Article 67 punishes the carrying, transport or use of firearms without a licence with the same penalty: three to five years' deprivation of liberty, confiscation and fines in the same range. The legislation contemplates aggravated sanctions when an illegal weapon has been used in crimes such as robbery, homicide or kidnapping, an element that the authorities may consider when assessing the danger of flight of the accused.
It will fall to the Public Ministry to determine whether the confiscated items allow the detention of illegal possession, illegal carrying or other infraction contemplated in Dominican law to be attributed to the detainees. The National Police assured that investigations continue.
Source: Google News DO — Crime