Colombia-Puerto Rico drug trafficking network dismantled in La Altagracia: seven defendants remanded for 18 months
A Dominican court ordered 18 months' preventive detention for seven members of a network that trafficked cocaine from Colombia to Puerto Rico.
Operation LOGTCA dismantles drug structure in eastern Dominican Republic
Dominican justice authorities imposed 18 months' preventive detention on seven suspected members of an organisation engaged in trafficking cocaine between Colombia and Puerto Rico, infobae.com reported. The measure was ordered following Operation LOGTCA, which on 6 August included 14 simultaneous raids in La Altagracia province.
The request was presented by the Specialised Prosecution against Illicit Narcotics Trafficking. Judge Francis Y. Reyes Diloné, head of the Judicial Office for Permanent Assistance Services in La Altagracia, determined that the evidence provided by the prosecution linked the accused to the facts under investigation and that there was a flight risk.
The seven defendants are Francisco Daniel G. S., known as el Gato or el Felino; Wendy C. S., alias el Suave or el Alcalde; Francisco P., identified as Fernelis; Joselo P.; Modesto Amado C. C., alias Usao or Kiko; Yeremy José P. P., alias Yeri; and Irwing Felipe R. R., known as el Gordo, el Cerdo or Keche. The judge ordered that they serve their sentence at the Anamuya Correction and Rehabilitation Centre in La Altagracia.
The court also declared the case file as complex, granting the Public Ministry an eight-month period to present the conclusive act of the investigation. This classification allows prosecutors to process the physical, electronic and documentary evidence collected, including vessels, global positioning devices, weapons and controlled substances, according to the Anti-Drug Prosecution.
Network based on eastern Dominican coast
According to the preliminary accusation, the organisation was responsible for receiving shipments of narcotics sent from Colombia and other points in South America. The prosecution argued that the group recruited people with experience in maritime navigation and fishing to carry out operations, using the eastern coasts of the country as a support point for the arrival, storage and subsequent dispatch of drugs.
The structure also allegedly provided logistical support to other criminal organisations and drug trafficking bosses operating in that region.
The Public Ministry attributed to the network the trafficking of approximately 9,000 kilograms of cocaine destined for Puerto Rico, as well as the movement of 160 million dollars linked to those illicit activities. Both figures form part of the investigation and will have to be substantiated during the judicial process.
Eleven arrested during 6 August operations
The operation was conducted by the Specialised Anti-Drug Prosecution together with agents from the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD). During procedures carried out in different areas of La Altagracia, 11 people were detained in total. The official report presented subsequently identified seven defendants against whom preventive detention was ordered, without clarifying the procedural status of the remaining four.
In addition to vessels and navigation equipment, the authorities seized weapons and controlled substances during the raids. The investigation continues with the objective of establishing the full extent of the network, its links with other organisations and the destination of the financial resources it allegedly moved.
Source: Google News DO — Crime