Attorney General arrests 12 of 25 persons accused in alleged drug theft by Dican
Among those arrested are two prosecutors, the former director and the operations chief of Dican
SANTO DOMINGO. The Attorney General of the Republic carried out an arrest order against 12 of the 25 persons implicated in the alleged theft of 950 kg of cocaine, seized by the Central Anti-Narcotics Directorate (DICAN) of the Police, for its alleged sale.
In a press conference, Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito said that against the defendants the Justice Department had conclusive evidence that ties them in a direct manner to the illicit actions in the performance of their duties.
He indicated that supposedly they are tied together with the other defendants who have still not been arrested, but against whom coercive measures have already been carried out.
He also said that Fernandez Valerio was sent to the penitentiary where police officers and men are locked up.
He added that in the next few hours he would request coercive measures in the Penal Chamber of the Appeals Court for the province of Santo Domingo, which appointed a judge of Special Instruction, Wendy Martinez Mejia, to hear these cases.
He said that the prosecutors who were arrested, instead of safeguarding the fulfillment of the law, took advantage of this criminal operation for their own benefit.
Other persons under arrest are Bárbaro Flores Beltrán, Sergeant major Antolín de los Santos Zabala, Sergeant Pedro José Almánzar González, Corporal Agapito Muñoz Evangelista y Private Raidirys García Miranda.
Dominguez Brito warned that the group will face charges of collusion of officials, the illegal trafficking of drugs, the use of influence, criminal association, illicit enrichment, falsification of public documents and money laundering of assets from drug trafficking.
He said that those arrests correspond to the first indictments against the persons implicated directly and responsible for leading this operation.
He explained that the investigation has been divided into three phases, which include the stealing of the the drugs that were stolen, the sale and then the purchase by a Police official.
"Until now, the distribution of the 950 kg of cocaine was carried out in the following manner: 250 kg to the representatives of the Justice Department who today are under arrest and the remaining 700 kg remained under the control of Colonel Paulino, who in turn later placed part of this amount on the local market." He noted that against the alleged participants in this "tumbe"-or theft-- and another two persons that are under investigation, he will proceed to present charges.
He indicated that during operations carried out on Monday at the company named "Cajas de Seguridad Dominicana S A", they carried out a search of box Num. 132, which was listed under the name of prosecutor Omar Ogando Ogando as the agent for prosecutor Maximo Diaz Ogando.
Inside, they found several certificates of deposit and investment, for a value of approximately RD$5 million, property deeds corresponding to commercial locales, among other properties, as well as US$15,000.
He said that as part of the assets that have been recovered, there are RD$1.4 million in cash, handed over voluntarily by one of the sergeants who participated in the operation, as well as an SUV.
Others of the participants who allegedly received from Colonel Paulino some RD$3 million, voluntarily handed over to the Justice Department an apartment acquired for RD $2.6 million and a vehicle valued at RD$400,000.
"We want to stress that this investigation has not ended; we will continue to dig deeper no matter the positions, jurisdictions, ranks or titles." The official said that he thought that the majority of the drugs remain here in the country and on the local market. "We also think that a part of the drugs is still out there hidden."
In regard to Nicolas and Santos Emilio, the alleged owners of the drugs where the search for the 950 kg of cocaine was carried out, he revealed that arrest warrants have been issued and they are being sought by the authorities.
The arrest warrants include the prosecutor Leonidas Suarez Martinez, colonels Mercedes Altagracia Mola Cuevas and Guillermo Baez Ubiera.
Likewise under indictment are the Lieutenant Colonels Voltaire Batista Matos, Juan Bulus Andújar and Francisco Valenzuela Valenzuela. In addition, major Junio Vásquez Báez; major Alberto Jiménez Ruiz; captains Carlos Amézquita Reynoso and Edwin La Paix Zapata, and Lieutenant Juanico Belén Mejía are under investigation.
Also involved are Lieutenant Pedro José Almánzar González; Corporal Agapito Muñoz Evangelista, private Raidirys Lironey García Miranda and the civilian Santo Emilio Hernández.
The request for arrest warrants was formulated by the Adjunct General Prosecutor Bolivar Sanchez and the general prosecutor of the Appeals Court of the province of Santo Domingo, Robert Rodriguez Mendoza.
They said that the Justice Department has opened an investigation against the defendants, presumably for having stolen drugs occupied in a search carried out on 27 September 2014, by the prosecutors Maximo Antonio Diaz Ogando, Ramon Augusto Veras Castro and Leonidas Suarez Martinez, accompanied by members of the police. They say that these persons stole the drugs that were occupied, which weighed more than 900 kg of cocaine chloralhydrate, as well as an undetermined amount of cash.
The Attorney General on the mega-divas
With respect to the talk about the mega-divas in the Dican scandal, the Attorney General of the Republic declared that the television personalities do not seem to have any implication in the operation of the alleged theft of drugs or its sale. "If they have some personal or sentimental relationship with some of the authors (of this crime), that is not something that is our responsibility."
At the same time, the Attorney General said that it is not possible for a drug-sales point in a given community to operate without some sort of complicity by some prosecuting authority.
In a press conference, Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito said that against the defendants the Justice Department had conclusive evidence that ties them in a direct manner to the illicit actions in the performance of their duties.
He indicated that supposedly they are tied together with the other defendants who have still not been arrested, but against whom coercive measures have already been carried out.
He also said that Fernandez Valerio was sent to the penitentiary where police officers and men are locked up.
He added that in the next few hours he would request coercive measures in the Penal Chamber of the Appeals Court for the province of Santo Domingo, which appointed a judge of Special Instruction, Wendy Martinez Mejia, to hear these cases.
He said that the prosecutors who were arrested, instead of safeguarding the fulfillment of the law, took advantage of this criminal operation for their own benefit.
Other persons under arrest are Bárbaro Flores Beltrán, Sergeant major Antolín de los Santos Zabala, Sergeant Pedro José Almánzar González, Corporal Agapito Muñoz Evangelista y Private Raidirys García Miranda.
Dominguez Brito warned that the group will face charges of collusion of officials, the illegal trafficking of drugs, the use of influence, criminal association, illicit enrichment, falsification of public documents and money laundering of assets from drug trafficking.
He said that those arrests correspond to the first indictments against the persons implicated directly and responsible for leading this operation.
He explained that the investigation has been divided into three phases, which include the stealing of the the drugs that were stolen, the sale and then the purchase by a Police official.
"Until now, the distribution of the 950 kg of cocaine was carried out in the following manner: 250 kg to the representatives of the Justice Department who today are under arrest and the remaining 700 kg remained under the control of Colonel Paulino, who in turn later placed part of this amount on the local market." He noted that against the alleged participants in this "tumbe"-or theft-- and another two persons that are under investigation, he will proceed to present charges.
He indicated that during operations carried out on Monday at the company named "Cajas de Seguridad Dominicana S A", they carried out a search of box Num. 132, which was listed under the name of prosecutor Omar Ogando Ogando as the agent for prosecutor Maximo Diaz Ogando.
Inside, they found several certificates of deposit and investment, for a value of approximately RD$5 million, property deeds corresponding to commercial locales, among other properties, as well as US$15,000.
He said that as part of the assets that have been recovered, there are RD$1.4 million in cash, handed over voluntarily by one of the sergeants who participated in the operation, as well as an SUV.
Others of the participants who allegedly received from Colonel Paulino some RD$3 million, voluntarily handed over to the Justice Department an apartment acquired for RD $2.6 million and a vehicle valued at RD$400,000.
"We want to stress that this investigation has not ended; we will continue to dig deeper no matter the positions, jurisdictions, ranks or titles." The official said that he thought that the majority of the drugs remain here in the country and on the local market. "We also think that a part of the drugs is still out there hidden."
In regard to Nicolas and Santos Emilio, the alleged owners of the drugs where the search for the 950 kg of cocaine was carried out, he revealed that arrest warrants have been issued and they are being sought by the authorities.
The arrest warrants include the prosecutor Leonidas Suarez Martinez, colonels Mercedes Altagracia Mola Cuevas and Guillermo Baez Ubiera.
Likewise under indictment are the Lieutenant Colonels Voltaire Batista Matos, Juan Bulus Andújar and Francisco Valenzuela Valenzuela. In addition, major Junio Vásquez Báez; major Alberto Jiménez Ruiz; captains Carlos Amézquita Reynoso and Edwin La Paix Zapata, and Lieutenant Juanico Belén Mejía are under investigation.
Also involved are Lieutenant Pedro José Almánzar González; Corporal Agapito Muñoz Evangelista, private Raidirys Lironey García Miranda and the civilian Santo Emilio Hernández.
The request for arrest warrants was formulated by the Adjunct General Prosecutor Bolivar Sanchez and the general prosecutor of the Appeals Court of the province of Santo Domingo, Robert Rodriguez Mendoza.
They said that the Justice Department has opened an investigation against the defendants, presumably for having stolen drugs occupied in a search carried out on 27 September 2014, by the prosecutors Maximo Antonio Diaz Ogando, Ramon Augusto Veras Castro and Leonidas Suarez Martinez, accompanied by members of the police. They say that these persons stole the drugs that were occupied, which weighed more than 900 kg of cocaine chloralhydrate, as well as an undetermined amount of cash.
The Attorney General on the mega-divas
With respect to the talk about the mega-divas in the Dican scandal, the Attorney General of the Republic declared that the television personalities do not seem to have any implication in the operation of the alleged theft of drugs or its sale. "If they have some personal or sentimental relationship with some of the authors (of this crime), that is not something that is our responsibility."
At the same time, the Attorney General said that it is not possible for a drug-sales point in a given community to operate without some sort of complicity by some prosecuting authority.
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