Seven detained with 18 months imprisonment for trafficking cocaine from Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico
A court imposed 18 months preventative detention on seven members of a network that trafficked 9,000 kilogrammes of cocaine to Puerto Rico.
Transnational network dismantled in La Altagracia after trafficking 9,000 kilogrammes of cocaine
The Judicial Office for Permanent Attention Services imposed 18 months of preventative detention on seven members of a transnational drug trafficking network, according to diariolibre.com. The accused were broken up through Operation LOGTCA and face charges for receiving shipments of cocaine from Colombia and sending them to Puerto Rico.
The defendants are Francisco Daniel García Santana, known as "el Gato" and/or "el Felino"; Wendy Cedeño Santillán, "el Suave" and/or "el Alcalde"; Francisco Pinales, alias "Fernelis"; Joselo Pinales; Modesto Amado Concepción Castillo, "Usao" and/or "Kiko"; Yeremy José Pereyra Pinales, "Yeri"; and Irwing Felipe Rodríguez Rijo, "el Gordo", "el Cerdo" and/or "Keche".
According to the Public Ministry, the accused were part of a structure that operated in the eastern zone of the Dominican Republic, dedicated to receiving large volumes of drugs from South America for subsequent shipment to the United States territory of Puerto Rico. The investigation establishes that the organisation would have moved approximately 9,000 kilogrammes of cocaine and approximately 160 million dollars resulting from its illicit operations.
The authorities indicate that the network also provided logistical support to other criminal organisations and drug trafficking leaders active in the eastern region of the country. The Public Ministry maintains that the structure recruited people with experience in maritime navigation and fishing to facilitate the transfer of shipments.
Operation LOGTCA was executed on 6 August by the Specialised Prosecution Against Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, in coordination with the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD). During the operation, 14 simultaneous raids were carried out in different areas of La Altagracia province and 11 people were arrested in total. The authorities also seized vessels, global positioning systems (GPS), weapons and controlled substances used, according to the investigation, in the organisation's operations.
The court declared the case complex and granted the Public Ministry an extended eight-month period to present the closing brief. The measure will allow prosecutors to continue with the analysis of the physical, electronic and documentary evidence obtained during the raids.
The presiding judge Francis Y. Reyes Diloné ordered that the seven accused serve preventative detention in the Correction and Rehabilitation Centre (CCR) of Anamuya, in La Altagracia. The Public Ministry continues investigations to determine the participation of the other individuals involved in the drug trafficking structure.
Source: Google News DO — Crime