D
Dolores
Guest
President Medina recognizes top US Dominican high school graduates
Education Minister says the request to hire teachers who flunked assessment is “absurd”
Public school teacher strike on the first week of school
Elvis Crespo: Time to teach merengue in Dominican schools
Director of OISOE says there was sabotage at San Juan de la Maguana hospital
Ministry of Agriculture backs avocado plantations, signs with Sur Futuro Foundation
Oh happy day! Coraasan eliminates serious maintenance hole issues
Claudio Caamaño: Ambiguities in electoral laws bode crash of the electoral system
HanesBrands recognized during 50th anniversary of free zone industry
Beer homebrewing takes off in Santiago
North Coast Highway claims three more victims
Justice Ministry requests pre-trial detention in Cesar Peralta drug trafficking case
How money is laundered in the Peralta drug trafficking operations
El Dia: Nightclub network laundered drug trafficking cash
Wife of Sergio Gómez: Go after the big fish
Arrest order out for Marisol Franco, wife of Cesar Emilio Peralta
Hipólito Mejía had pardoned Boarnerges Sánchez now accused again of drug trafficking
Dominican police spokesman is on the payroll of MLB
Fire at Torre Atiemar
Dominican designs new look for Anna of “Frozen”
Dominican basketball team in China for FIBA World Cup
Dominican Republic is on the path of Dorian
President Medina recognizes top US Dominican high school graduates
President Danilo Medina hosted outstanding Dominican students from United States high schools at the Presidential Palace on Friday, 15 August 2019. The students were from New Jersey, Colorado, Pennsylvania and New York. President Medina encouraged the students to continue with their studies to make the Dominican Republic big. Honored students were: Alice B. Banks, Esmeralda Adriana Santiago, Félix Alexander Mejía Ortiz, Jhelibanny Paloma Martínez Rodríguez, Cismary Altagracia Tavarez Mercado, Luis Dewris Quezada and Michael Espinal Brito.
The Presidency reported that the students shared anecdotes of their life in the United States.
The Dominican consulate in New York is in charge of the program. Consul general Carlos Castillo said that the initiative began in 1997. This year, 548 students were recognized. Of these, 10 were chosen to travel to the Dominican Republic to represent the group. As part of the program, the students will receive half-tuition scholarships from the Dominican government to continue their studies.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...-recibimiento-en-palacio-nacional-estudiantes
Education Minister says the request to hire teachers who flunked assessment is “absurd”
Education Minister Antonio Peña Mirabal says the Ministry is under pressure to hire public school teachers even when they do not meet minimal standards. He characterized the request as “absurd.” He said this explains the work stoppages by public school teachers during the first week of school.
He said that the Dominican Teachers Guild (ADP) abandoned labor talks because the Ministry would not hire those who had flunked the exams. He said he could not do that because it would be fraudulent.
Peña Mirabal says that during the Medina administration wages of public school teachers have doubled, and their living conditions have improved. He noted that over RD$11 billion was paid out to some 84,000 teachers as incentives for obtaining advanced degrees over the past year. He added that the conditions of retired teachers have also improved.
He called the work stoppage “insensitive” and that it is depriving school children of their constitutional right to education.
Readers will remember that only 24% of the 54,000 applicants passed the first phase of testing. The education minister stressed that the National Institute of Teacher Welfare (Inabima) and the National Institute of Teacher Training (Inafocam), have focused on the development of teachers to improve the quality of education.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...a-10-mil-postulantes-en-concurso-de-oposicion
https://elnacional.com.do/ministro-...nsensatez-paro-de-docencia-convocado-por-adp/
Public school teacher strike on the first week of school
Hundreds of public school teachers took off Thursday, 22 August 2019 to march to the Ministry of Education and present demands. The president of the Dominican Public School Teachers Guild (ADP), Xiomara Guante said the teachers demand a recall of the Public School Teacher Assessment 2019. The teachers also want fewer teaching hours and a review of the content of the extended day programs. Also demanded is better maintenance works at schools.
The march began at Av. 27 de Febrero and the teachers walked south to the Ministry of Education on Av. Máximo Gómez.
In 2018 the Ministry carried out assessments to choose teachers for director positions by merit. The ADP rejected this. This year, the Ministry of Education required public school teachers to take a standardized test to assess their competencies for the jobs. Most teachers failed. The ADP now objects to the test. An editorial in Diario Libre criticizes the ADP position while it praises recent actions of the Ministry of Education to base promotions and hiring on merit.
School began nationwide in the Dominican Republic on Monday, 19 August 2019.
https://eldia.com.do/profesores-marchan-al-ministerio-de-educacion/
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/editorial/tapadera-magisterial-EO13849368
https://n.com.do/2019/08/23/ministr...oras-en-calidad-de-vida-y-formacion-continua/
Elvis Crespo: Time to teach merengue in Dominican schools
Puerto Rican singer Elvis Crespo said on Thursday, 22 August 2019 advocates teaching the original merengue with guira and drum in schools in the Dominican Republic.
During a visit to El Nuevo Diario, Crespo said that efforts are needed to keep the genre alive. These are days when modern Latin Urban music (reggaeton, hip hop, Latin Pop, Dance, Salsa) are more popular with the new generations.
While merengue is part of the national identity of Dominicans, it is rarely heard on radio stations today.
Merengue music and dance was inscribed in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
On the positive side, Crespo observes that many artists from other genres are now creating merengues. He mentioned this is the case of “Lo que pasó pasó” by Daddy Yankee and “El Doctorado”, modernized version.
26 November celebrates National Merengue Day in the Dominican Republic.
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/video-...ir-clases-de-merengues-en-las-escuelas-de-rd/
Director of OISOE says there was sabotage at San Juan de la Maguana hospital
The director of the Office of Supervising Engineers of Public Works (OISOE), Francisco Pagan told reporters that persons unknown knocked a hole in the roof of the Alejandro Cabral Regional Hospital in San Juan de la Maguana. Water accumulated from a recent rain shower then entered the hospital. The incident is under investigation. He denied there were flaws in the construction. Pagan said the hole was drilled through the roof.
Multiple reports have been featured in the media criticizing the quality of the public hospital constructions under the OISOE, a division of the Presidency.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/22/...oe-denuncia-sabotaje-en-hospital-de-san-juan/
Ministry of Agriculture backs avocado plantations, signs with Sur Futuro Foundation
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Sur Futuro Foundation have inked a RD$40 million agreement for the production of tree seedlings to be planted in the highlands of the southwest of the country. The agreement, signed by Minister Osmar Benítez and Sur Futuro’s Melba Segura de Grullón, is aimed at promoting sustainable food production through the planting of coffee and avocado trees.
Benítez, for years the head of the Agro-Business Board (JAD), told El Caribe reporters that the goal is to plant some 750,000 tareas (about 50,000 hectares) included in the project, at a cost of RD$10 billion. He said that 436,000 tareas were planted with coffee, avocados and hardwoods, which are to the benefit of more than 9,000 families in the areas. He noted that 150,000 tareas of coffee and 50,000 tareas of the Hass variety of avocados were planted. The project started in five provinces and because of its impact, it will expand into the Cibao Valley and the Northwest Line (Mao, Santiago Rodríguez, Dajabón and Montecristi).
Benítez explained that the government is investing about RD$5,000 per month on each family until the different crops come into harvest. At that moment, they expect that some RD$25 billion will be produced.
The Ministry is in charge of certifying the seeds used in the nurseries run by Sur Futuro.
For her part, Melba Segura told reporters that Sur Futuro was very pleased with the renewal of the agreement.
Most of the varieties of avocado to be planted are aimed at the export markets of the United States and Europe.
As reported, Sur Futuro is charged with the production of some 2,400,000 seedlings of coffee and avocado. These trees will be planted in the watersheds of the country and are said to contribute to reducing the impact of improper land use over decades.
The Ministry is promoting these as a way to “preserve the watersheds around the country.” Nevertheless, there is a significant controversy over the planting of Hass variety avocado trees. Moreso, the Medina administration has allowed the cultivation of avocado plantations in National Park areas. In the Dominican Republic, Grupo Jaragua has taken the lead to protest the action as in violation of Dominican law.
Globally, there is evidence that avocado growth is bad for the environment because the single crop depletes the soil and has intense water consumption requirements. Environmentalists explain that it leaves soils more vulnerable to diseases and requires intense use of pesticides that contaminate the soil and surrounding water sources. The avocado trees need sunlight to flourish better and shrubs and old trees are taken down to provide for the plantations, contributing to deforestation and to global warming and climate change.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/23/...cuerdan-fortalecer-reforestacion-zonas-altas/
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/24/...a-y-sur-futuro-impulsaran-siembra-de-plantas/
https://e-csr.net/benefits-avocados-production-bad-people-planet-27107/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...a-sierra-gobierno-apoya-produccion-ED10756233
https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/avocados-are-bad-for-the-planet-another-study-confirms
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...e-sustainable-cafe-food-cooking-a8663526.html
Oh happy day! Coraasan eliminates serious maintenance hole issues
Main avenues and side streets in Santiago were re-paved not too long ago. Then hundreds, if not thousands, of maintenance holes were left uncovered some even at a depth of 2”-3” below the level of the new roadways. This, in turn, created a series of deep potholes for drivers of all sorts of vehicles. There have been many accidents when people swerve to avoid the holes.
Recently, the Santiago Water and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan) has eliminated some 500 of these impediments to traffic flow, bringing the utility hole covers up to the level of the new pavement. The work cost RD$1,315,000. The work will certainly ease the tension caused by these below-the-surface sewer covers.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/23/...oraasan-pone-nivel-de-las-vias-500-registros/
Claudio Caamaño: Ambiguities in electoral laws bode crash of the electoral system
Emerging politician Claudio Caamaño calls for the passing of a bill that would create the Tribunales Electorales de Primer Grado. These first-level electoral courts would hear most of the electoral-related cases in the provinces and the National District. Caamaño sees this as a solution to an expected legal bottleneck at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
Caamaño writes that the ambiguities in the Electoral Regime Law and the Political Parties Law will bring about a crash of the system and affect the outcome of the 2020 general elections. The TSE alone will not be able to handle the avalanche of recourses expected. He said the many cases the higher court is already handling before the election is evidence of what is to be expected once the elections take place.
On Saturday, Diario Libre reported that in just the past two weeks, the TSE has already received 20 recourses rejecting pre-electoral decisions by political parties and the Central Electoral Board. These are regarding decisions made by the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM).
There are 4,113 elective positions in just the municipal elections scheduled for 16 February 2020, not taking into account the 17 May 2020 congressional and presidential elections.
https://eldia.com.do/tse-cronica-de-un-colapso/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...ecursos-ante-el-tribunal-electoral-IM13865827
HanesBrands recognized during 50th anniversary of free zone industry
President Danilo Medina recognized HanesBrands for its contributions to industry in the Dominican Republic. The recognition came on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the export free zone industry model operation in the Dominican Republic. Gulf & Western Industries was first to implant the model in La Romana.
The Presidency recognized Hanes as the best employer, most socially responsible company, taxpayer, and for its consistent growth in exports.
The company manufactures in the Dominican Republic around 80% of the 250 million t-shirt units it sells globally. It has manufacturing centers in Las Americas and San Isidro free zones in the National District. It has been operating for 46 years and employs around 8,000 persons.
HanesBrands Caribe operations vice president Ricardo Pérez and Javier Chacón, chief executive for global manufacturing received the recognition from President Danilo Medina.
During the event held at the Cariátides Hall of the Presidential Palace, President Medina delivered recognitions to 88 free zone companies for their leadership, innovation, development, corporate social responsibility, hard currency generation, logistics services, among others.
https://www.metrord.do/do/noticias/...-aporte-al-fortalecimiento-zonas-francas.html
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...ersario-zonas-francas-en-rd-reconoce-empresas
Beer homebrewing takes off in Santiago
Over the last six years, the production of artisanal beers in the Cibao Valley and, in general, in the northern part of the Dominican Republic, has increased considerably. In Santiago alone five brands sell eight varieties, but there are many other home breweries.
Carlos Benoit, a young beer entrepreneur, says beer festivals held in the country have spurred the new beer culture. He notes that craft beers are now making an appearance in local bars and restaurants, food trucks, and entertainment centers.
Carlos Agelan of Agelaner Cervecería, an artisanal beer producer, says beer has health benefits. He said it is good for high blood pressure, because it is low in sodium, and has a lot of phosphorous that helps eliminate sodium. Agelan says that it is not true that beer is fattening, when drunk in moderation.
Light research by Listin Diario reporters reveals that the type of beer is popular with millennials. Traditional beers of the Dominican Republic still have the most market share.
https://listindiario.com/elnorte/2019/08/23/579376/las-cervezas-artesanales-ya-son-parte-del-cibao
http://talkingcraftbeer.com/016-agelaner-cerveceria-y-su-triguena-dominicana/
North Coast Highway claims three more victims
Speed kills. That is a truism borne out nearly daily on the roadways of the Dominican Republic. At the end of last week, three more young men were missing from their family’s dinner table. All three died on the north coast highway between Sosúa and Río San Juan in three different incidents.
Fabián Bonilla died when the motorcycle he was riding, a CG 125, crashed into a Hyundai mini-bus on the highway between Sosúa and Cabarete.
Luis Mena Suero (Morocho), who lived in Sosúa Abajo, perished from the injuries suffered in a single-car accident on the road between Gaspar Hernández and Río San Juan. According to witnesses, he lost control of the speeding vehicle when he attempted to avoid a pothole in the highway. He crashed his Honda Civic into a tree near the Bahía Prinicipe-Playa Magante.
Finally, a 17-year old known only as Mario died as he raced his moped (illegally) on the road between Cabarete and Sabaneta de Yásica.
It is no news that the Dominican Republic has the highest traffic fatality rate in the world among nations with over 100 kilometers of roads.
https://eldia.com.do/mueren-tres-jovenes-de-sosua-y-cabarete-en-accidentes-de-transito/
Justice Ministry requests pre-trial detention in Cesar Peralta drug trafficking case
The Justice Ministry filed a request for coercive measures against four of the nine people under arrest for their ties to the network of drug trafficker César Emilio Peralta, better known as "César El Abusador" (César the Abuser).
The Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services of the National District is asked to impose a year of pre-trial detention and the declaration of a complex case due to the number of defendants and the plurality of infractions they would have committed, in order to be able to carry out an exhaustive investigation and obtain more evidence to structure a strong case.
The request is for pre-trial custody against former Major League Baseball player Octavio Eduardo Dotel Diaz, Jose Bernabé Quitero, Obispo Feliz Lorenzo and Roberto Jose Caceres, arrested in the start of the case in local justice. The court set the hearing for Monday, 26 August 2019.
The accusations include drug trafficking, laundering of assets from illicit drug trafficking, and possession and use of firearms.
The director of communications for the Attorney General Office, Julieta Tejeda says a red alert has been placed globally for the capture of Cesar Emilio Peralta and his wife Marisol Mercedes Franco, among others sought in this case. The chief of the National Investigations Department (DNI), the local FBI, says that he could not tell if these have left the country because the investigations are up to the Attorney General Office.
A report in the Monday, 26 August issue of El Día says that César Emilio Peralta had another identity. He is also Eduardo Saldaña Rodríguez.
https://eldia.com.do/mp-solicita-un...-red-de-el-abusador-y-declarar-caso-complejo/
https://hoy.com.do/conoce-usted-los-detalles-sobre-la-red-de-narcotrafico-de-cesar-el-abusador/
https://hoy.com.do/esto-estan-hacie...dir-que-red-de-cesar-el-abusador-salga-de-rd/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...r-el-abusador-y-su-esposa-antes-del-operativo
https://n.com.do/2019/08/24/todo-sobre-cesar-el-abusador-los-hechos-que-no-conoces/
https://n.com.do/2019/08/25/nuria-p...anejaba-cesar-emilio-peralta-el-abusador-1-5/
https://lascalientesdelsur.com/naci...ace-4-anos-que-el-mp-le-daba-seguimiento.html
https://eldia.com.do/la-oficina-del-sheriff-incorpora-la-red-de-el-abusador-en-lista/
How money is laundered in the Peralta drug trafficking operations
The purchase of luxury automobiles and properties in the name of others (mostly willing but some not-so-willing) is one of the ways to money launder cash from illicit crime. Others are the opening entertainment locales and bars under legitimate commercial enterprises and carrying out murky transactions through currency exchange offices. The Attorney General Office lists these methods as those used by alleged drug kingpin Cesar Emilio Peralta (Cesar el Abusador), in his money laundering operations.
The Attorney General Office seeks pre-trial custody against Roberto Jose Caceres, Jose Bernabe Quiterio, former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and Obispo Feliz Lorenzo, the first arrested in the case against Cesar Emilio Peralta and his drug trafficking operation.
The case file indicates that there was a complete scheme for laundering the money from the Peralta large-scale operations of the cartel headed by Peralta. The Dominican government prosecutors file also includes retired MLB ballplayer Luis Castillo as one who “lent his name.” Dotel has explained he and Castillo are being tied to the case due to a US$1.6 million mortgage loan that they made to Eridania del Carmen Jorge Estrella in the case of two villas in Casa de Campo, one of which reportedly was property of convicted drug capo Quirino Ernesto Paulino. According to Dotel’s lawyers, the deal dates back to 2015. The lawyers noted that Dotel and Castillo were duped by the woman.
https://elnacional.com.do/revelan-como-red-lavaba-dinero-en-rd/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...lavado-de-activos-segun-el-ministerio-publico
https://www.boston.com/news/world-n...-in-dominican-republic-drug-trafficking-sweep
https://people.com/crime/retired-mlb-players-linked-drug-ring/
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/queens/news...ayers-linked-to-dominican-republic-drug-ring-
https://wfan.radio.com/articles/news/octavio-dotel-luis-castillo-linked-dominican-drug-ring
https://www.12up.com/posts/us-autho...red-to-have-targeted-david-ortiz-01djtg3kxgan
https://eldia.com.do/en-allanamient...mundial-de-octavio-dotel-denuncia-su-abogado/
https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ctavio-dotel-caught-largest/story?id=65091795
https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ctavio-dotel-caught-largest/story?id=65091795
https://www.eltiempo.com.do/unas-villas-en-la-romana-es-
https://n.com.do/2019/08/22/dotel-afirma-mi-cuarto-me-lo-gane-pichando-en-grandes-ligas/
https://n.com.do/2019/08/22/dotel-compro-villa-a-eridania-del-carmen-jorge-y-no-a-cesar-el-abusador/
https://lanaciondominicana.com/noticia/advierten-ex-toletero-de-grandes-ligas-esta-preso-por/82810/
https://lanaciondominicana.com/noticia/advierten-ex-toletero-de-grandes-ligas-esta-preso-por/82810/
El Dia: Nightclub network laundered drug trafficking cash
Drug capo Cesar Emilio Peralta was a big patron of the arts in the Dominican Republic, especially of urban artists. The capo had structured a network of nightclubs, drinks and other businesses to launder drug trafficking money.
A report in El Dia explains that the collaborators of drug capo Cesar Emilio Peralta (El Abusador) were able to avoid justice despite having track records in crime. El Dia points out that Yadher Rafael Jaquez Araujo (Jake Mate), was at the head of Jake Mate Productions that contracted leading performers. Jake Mate is a former member of the Dominican Air Force who in 2007 was arrested for being part of a gang of robbers. Released from charges, he would go on to become a prominent artistic contractor of urban music and salsa music performers.
He is now charged with being part of the Cesar Emilio Peralta drug trafficking organization (CPDTO). The nightclubs mentioned in the case are VIP Room (Zona Universitaria), La Kuora (Villa Consuelo), Flow Gallery Lounge (Villa Consuelo), and Aqua Club (Cristo Rey). Ozuna, Omega, Ala Jaza, Yiyo Sarante, El Alfa, Zion & Lennox, La Insuperable, Rochy RD were among the artists that frequently appeared at the nightclubs hired by the criminal organization.
The Attorney General Office now says these businesses served as meeting places to coordinate drug trafficking operations and front for the laundering of drug trafficking revenues.
El Dia observes that Jake Mate Productions also organized the Easter Bonche Las Terrenas in in which Puerto Ricans Ozuna, Arcangel and Farruko participated in 2018. In 2019, during the same event, Ozuna, La Insuperable and Omega were contracted.
El Dia reports that the extensive social media coverage in Instagram, Facebook and other media has since been removed.
https://eldia.com.do/la-red-dirigia-el-abusador-se-involucro-en-produccion-artistas/
Wife of Sergio Gómez: Go after the big fish
The wife of Sergio Gómez Díaz, Steisy de Gómez requested in extradition by the US in the case of Cesar Emilio Peralta (Cesar el Abusador), said there is no justice in the Dominican Republic. “To close cases and make the news and hide other things where the small fry get arrested while the big guys go free,” she sums up the situation for the press after the arrest of her husband. She asked the press why Cesar Emilio Peralta was not under arrest. She said that those who have so many millions they could buy the whole country are those who should be sought. “Where they are, go get them,” she said. She said the family has suffered with the search of their property.
Gómez Díaz is on the list of those sought in extradition by the United States together with Jesús Tapia Pérez, Baltazar Mesa and Jeifry del Rosario Gautier, and ring leader Cesar Emilio Peralta.
Sergio Gomez Diaz, José Tapia, Baltazar Mesa (El Maestro), José Jesús Tapia Pérez, (Bola Negra), Sergio Gómez Díaz stated in court they did not know Cesar Emilio Peralta.
The local law enforcement agencies received the extradition order and file with details on the Cesar Emilio Peralta criminal organization on 16 July 2019 but did not act against them until 20 August 2019, with the whereabouts of Peralta and his collaborators now unknown.
Gómez Díaz is on the list of the Attorney General Office prosecution in the case, not so on the list of the US Treasury designated Kingpin Act persons whose whereabouts are unknown. The missing persons sought by the US Treasury are: Cesar Emilio Peralta, Natanael Castro Cordero, Carlos Ariel Fernández Concepción, Kelvin Enrique Fernández Flaquer, Yadher Rafael (Jake Mate, Jaque Mate) Jaquez Araujo, Boarnerges Sánchez Nolasco (Warnel), Jhonan Alexander Ureña Martínez), Bernardo Antonio (Papi Cris) Valdez García, and Ramón Antonio (Toño Leña) Del Rosario Puente. The later was arrested in Colombia where he awaits extradition to the United States.
https://n.com.do/2019/08/23/supuest...afico-de-cesar-el-abusador-negaron-conocerlo/
https://eldia.com.do/esposa-de-serg...n-que-pagar-el-dano-moral-hecho-a-su-familia/
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/23/...ed-cesar-el-abusador-dicen-que-no-lo-conocen/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ejos-y-a-los-pejes-grandes-los-dejan-sueltos-
https://eldia.com.do/esposa-de-serg...n-que-pagar-el-dano-moral-hecho-a-su-familia/
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/20190820_peralta_chart.pdf
Arrest order out for Marisol Franco, wife of Cesar Emilio Peralta
The Specialized Anti Assets Laundering Prosecutors Office and the National District prosecutor office issued an order of arrest against Marisol Mercedes Franco, wife of César Emilio Peralta (El Abusador) charged by the US as the leading drug capo in the Caribbean region. Marisol Franco is half-sister to Berlinesa Franco, widow of former Santo Domingo East Mayor Juan de los Santos, creator of the nationwide network of sports betting shops, known as Juancito Sport. Berlinesa Franco was named to head the National Institute of Attention to Early Infancy (INAIPI) after the death of her husband.
Both Marisol Mercedes and Berlinesa are daughters of Franklin Franco (Francisco José Franco Martínez), a US justice fugitive. Franco had been requested by the US government in extradition on accusations that he had evaded serving a jail sentence for trafficking in cocaine in the United States.
Julio Martínez Pozo said on his Sol de la Mañana talk show on Zol radio station said that Marisol Franco formalized her relationship marrying Cesar Emilio Peralta after the death of Juan de los Santos. He said the couple has been married for a year and a half. Martínez Pozo said that previously, Marisol Franco was married to PRM deputy for the National District 3, Sergio Moya (Gory), with whom she has two adult children.
It is now known that the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) requested the extradition of Marisol Mercedes Franco’s husband, Cesar Emilio Peralta and his chief collaborators on 18 July when making a personal visit to the Dominican Republic. The extradition request had been made via the Ministry of Foreign Relations on 16 July.
It would take local prosecutors until Tuesday, 21 August to carry out a sweep of 50 properties of the accused by the US government and order the arrest of Peralta. The weekend before the sweep, Peralta and several of his collaborators were seen enjoying a Latin music festival at the Hard Rock Punta Cana Hotel & Casino.
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/procur...a-marisol-franco-esposa-de-cesar-el-abusador/
https://m.elcaribe.com.do/2018/03/1...n-congresional-del-narcotrafico-dominicano-8/
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/14/...icials-sense-a-shift-in-dominican-policy.html
https://hoy.com.do/pgr-tardo-casi-un-mes-en-ejecutar-orden-arresto/
http://zolfm.com/noticia/55436/niega-juan-de-los-santos-fuera-cunado-de-cesar-el-abusador
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/procur...a-marisol-franco-esposa-de-cesar-el-abusador/
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm755
https://primeraplanany.com/internac...nal-y-estaba-casado-con-separacion-de-bienes/
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/14/...icials-sense-a-shift-in-dominican-policy.html
https://inaipi.gob.do/
Hipólito Mejía had pardoned Boarnerges Sánchez now accused again of drug trafficking
In 2003, a little more than a year before leaving office, former President Hipólito Mejía pardoned 43-year old Boanerges Sánchez Nolasco who at the time was in jail for trafficking in cocaine. Then, President Mejía signed Decree 176-03 with the pardon of the seven-year term Sánchez was serving at the Monte Plata jail. Mejía had reached the Presidency on the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) ticket. Guido Gómez Mazara was the legal advisor to the President and confirmed the decree.
Meanwhile, pardoned Sánchez Nolasco is back in the highlight for much of the same. The man aspired to run for senator for the opposition party PRM in the May 2020 congressional election. He is on the list of drug traffickers mentioned in the Kingpin Act-designated list published by the US Treasury. PRM party president said the party had reserved the position of senator for Hato Mayor for someone else.
The Attorney General of the Dominican Republic now accuses Sánchez of being part of the Cesar Emilio Peralta Drug Trafficking Organization that was reportedly dismantled last week.
Sánchez Nolasco is also known as "Warnel, la Letra W." He is brother of PRM deputy, Ronald Sánchez who has served as spokesman for the party in the Chamber of Deputies.
Now President Hipólito Mejía seeks to win the PRM presidential candidacy in the 6 October 2019 primary. The PRD years later would split into the PRD and the PRM.
Also running for the candidacy for senator for the party is Cristobal Castillo, a follower of Luis Abinader. Abinader is the best standing presidential pre-candidate in the PRM.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...lado-a-la-red-de-cesar-el-abusador-FI13829369
https://somospueblo.com/gomez-mazar...-hecho-campana-juntos-y-aspira-a-senador-prm/
https://m.elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/2...mejia-podria-precipitarse-en-octubre-proximo/
Dominican police spokesman is on payroll of MLB
An investigation in the Boston Globe newspaper reveals that the spokesman for the National Police in the Dominican Republic, Colonel Frank Felix Duran Mejia has been on the payroll of Major League Baseball for over a decade. Indeed he is one of three high-ranking Dominican law enforcement officials employed as MLB resident security agents.
The revelation is new even in the Dominican Republic. It adds to the local and international skepticism around the Dominican police and attorney general conclusions on the shooting against Red Sox retired baseball player David Ortiz in a bar in eastern Santo Domingo. The Police concluded it was a case of mistaken identity and that the bullets were aimed at Sixto David Fernández instead over a family grudge with his cousin Victor Hugo Gómez Vásquez.
The Boston Globe reports:
“The arrangement, at least to the few who have known of it, raises questions about Duran’s loyalties at a time when the police’s shifting accounts of the near-fatal June 9 shooting of Ortiz have been met with widespread skepticism. And security specialists who have worked in the Dominican Republic said the close ties with MLB inevitably raise questions about the objectivity of police officials.”
The Boston Globe is also reporting that the ballplayer has hired a former police chief of Boston to look into findings of the Dominican police regarding the shooting.
The La Cuestion radio talk show on Friday, 23 August shares an audio by Victor Hugo Gomez Vásquez, whom the Dominican police accused of the murder, and who says that investigations should be carried out into the main source of income of his cousin, Sixto David Fernández Vásquez.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...l-loyalties/aXPMV0GLF3RGMvpRiO4mwM/story.html
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...rs-find-out/kSwS3DwuIuQxSjtbcKFqZM/story.html
https://domiplay.net/podcast/la-cuestion-radio/super-7/13-00-2019-08-23-Fri
Fire at Torre Atiemar
Colonel José Luis Frometa of the Santo Domingo Firemen says there are only material damages after a fire affected Torre Atiemar on Av. Pedro Henríquez Ureña. The fire at the high rise began around 7am in the first floor where the gym is located. There are only three apartments occupied in the luxury building, according to El Dia.
Torre Atiemar is reportedly property of Spaniard Arturo del Tiempo who was arrested in Spain in 2010 accused of attempting to smuggle in 1,200 kilos of cocaine that were shipped from the Dominican Republic. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
The firemen reported that the fire could be seen up to the 18th floor because the smoke went up by the air-conditioning duct.
The firemen reported there were no human losses. The damages are yet to be quantified.
https://eldia.com.do/fuego-en-torre...so-y-la-humareda-se-propago-hasta-el-piso-18/
https://eldia.com.do/la-red-dirigia-el-abusador-se-involucro-en-produccion-artistas/
Dominican designs new look for Anna of “Frozen”
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York’s fourth-year fashion student Yelayny Placencia is the designer of the contemporary look for Anna, the iconic female character of “Frozen.” The design is intended for use in the Disney Broadway show.
Placencia is from the Dominican Republic and was one of ten students from the FIT that were chosen by the fashion school to present sketches to Disney on Broadway with new looks for 10 Disney heroines and characters. Disney on Broadway had asked the FIT to hold a competition among a select group of 100 students and choose the ten best proposals.
The student designers were asked for the new looks for Nala and Rafiki of “The Lion King”, Jane of “Tarzan,” Elsa and Anna of “Frozen,” Jasmine of “Aladdin”, Belle of “Beauty and the Beast”, Katherine of “Newsies”, Ariel of “The Little Mermaid” and Mary Poppins of “Mary Poppins.”
The contest is part of the 25th year celebrations of Disney stage productions and the 75th anniversary of the FIT.
Other winners of the contest are Marianna Gonzalez, Eunhye Jo, Ashna Moogi, Yelayny Placencia, Ruby SeoHee Shin, Annette Stone, Paige Walker, Georgianna Wells, Baoqing Yu and Sooyoung Yun.
The Fashion Institute of Technology is just three kilometers from the Broadway theater area.
From 19 September through 6 October 2019, the creations will be on view at the school’s Art & Design gallery in the Pomerantz Art and Design Center.
The WWD website reports that attendance of the shows could be up if the designs become a reality. “Chances are the Broadway productions of such shows as “Frozen” and “The Lion King,” could get a lift in attendance or perhaps a few more collegiate ticket purchases, as a result of the tie-up,” says the website. It explains that local theatergoers and tourists alike had bolstered Broadway show attendance to 14.77 million for the 2018-19 season compared to 13.79 the previous year, citing data from the Broadway League.
https://news.fitnyc.edu/2019/08/19/...-with-fit-in-celebration-of-25th-anniversary/
https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashio...nology-for-stage-inspired-designs-1203241335/
https://listindiario.com/la-vida/20...isenaran-vestuarios-para-personajes-de-disney
Dominican basketball team in China for FIBA World Cup
The Dominican national basketball team will be competing in the FIBA World Cup, a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Thirty-two teams are participating in the preliminary group stage. The Dominican Republic does not have a chance at qualifying.
The 14-member team under coach Nestor García is made up by players Adris De Leon, Rigoberto Mendoza, Jean Montero, Dagoberto Pena, Victor Liz, Luis D. Montero, Eloy Vargas, Gelvis Solano, Juan Migel Suero, Sadiel Rojas, Juan Jose Garcia, Eulis Baez, Ronald Ramon, and Ronald Roberts Jr.
Before the start of the FIBA World Cup, the Dominican team will play in the 2019 Suzhou International Basketball Challenge (Atlas Challenge) from 23-27 August. Eight international teams, China, Dominican Republic, Greece, Jordan, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Turkey and Venezuela, will be playing in this tournament held in Suzhou, China as a final lead up to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, tipping off on 31 August in China. In the first game of the Atlas Challenge, the Dominican Republic defeated China 87-72 in the Suzhou Sports Center. At the close of this issue, in another game in the Atlas Challenge, Greece defeated the DR 87-75 in a highly contested game.
In the FIBA World Cup, the Dominican Republic is scheduled to play against Germany, France and Jordan in the first round of the tournament. The Dominican Republic opens playing in Group G against Jordan in Shenzhen, China.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/groups
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/game/3108/Dominican-Republic-Jordan
https://www.eurohoops.net/en/fibawc...19-suzhou-international-basketball-challenge/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJC3mRYrN7I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDuy-s1WxOU
Dominican Republic is on the path of Dorian
Tropical Storm Dorian is moving west onto Caribbean waters. The National Hurricane Center does not has it with hurricane status when it crosses by Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic by its eastern coast. Stormy weather is expected as of Thursday, 29 August 2019 on the island. The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) is calling for all to closely monitor the storm as it moves west.
This is a time to complete pre-hurricane preparations. Reports on DR1 Weather & Beyond Forum’s “2019 Hurricane Season” thread indicate that this could be an intense September and October for the Dominican Republic. Preparations for a major storm should be underway. End of August and September is the peak time for hurricanes in the Caribbean.
Follow the storm at
https://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/175150-2019-Hurricane-Season?p=1971172#post1971172
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/114042.shtml?cone#contents
Education Minister says the request to hire teachers who flunked assessment is “absurd”
Public school teacher strike on the first week of school
Elvis Crespo: Time to teach merengue in Dominican schools
Director of OISOE says there was sabotage at San Juan de la Maguana hospital
Ministry of Agriculture backs avocado plantations, signs with Sur Futuro Foundation
Oh happy day! Coraasan eliminates serious maintenance hole issues
Claudio Caamaño: Ambiguities in electoral laws bode crash of the electoral system
HanesBrands recognized during 50th anniversary of free zone industry
Beer homebrewing takes off in Santiago
North Coast Highway claims three more victims
Justice Ministry requests pre-trial detention in Cesar Peralta drug trafficking case
How money is laundered in the Peralta drug trafficking operations
El Dia: Nightclub network laundered drug trafficking cash
Wife of Sergio Gómez: Go after the big fish
Arrest order out for Marisol Franco, wife of Cesar Emilio Peralta
Hipólito Mejía had pardoned Boarnerges Sánchez now accused again of drug trafficking
Dominican police spokesman is on the payroll of MLB
Fire at Torre Atiemar
Dominican designs new look for Anna of “Frozen”
Dominican basketball team in China for FIBA World Cup
Dominican Republic is on the path of Dorian
President Medina recognizes top US Dominican high school graduates
President Danilo Medina hosted outstanding Dominican students from United States high schools at the Presidential Palace on Friday, 15 August 2019. The students were from New Jersey, Colorado, Pennsylvania and New York. President Medina encouraged the students to continue with their studies to make the Dominican Republic big. Honored students were: Alice B. Banks, Esmeralda Adriana Santiago, Félix Alexander Mejía Ortiz, Jhelibanny Paloma Martínez Rodríguez, Cismary Altagracia Tavarez Mercado, Luis Dewris Quezada and Michael Espinal Brito.
The Presidency reported that the students shared anecdotes of their life in the United States.
The Dominican consulate in New York is in charge of the program. Consul general Carlos Castillo said that the initiative began in 1997. This year, 548 students were recognized. Of these, 10 were chosen to travel to the Dominican Republic to represent the group. As part of the program, the students will receive half-tuition scholarships from the Dominican government to continue their studies.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...-recibimiento-en-palacio-nacional-estudiantes
Education Minister says the request to hire teachers who flunked assessment is “absurd”
Education Minister Antonio Peña Mirabal says the Ministry is under pressure to hire public school teachers even when they do not meet minimal standards. He characterized the request as “absurd.” He said this explains the work stoppages by public school teachers during the first week of school.
He said that the Dominican Teachers Guild (ADP) abandoned labor talks because the Ministry would not hire those who had flunked the exams. He said he could not do that because it would be fraudulent.
Peña Mirabal says that during the Medina administration wages of public school teachers have doubled, and their living conditions have improved. He noted that over RD$11 billion was paid out to some 84,000 teachers as incentives for obtaining advanced degrees over the past year. He added that the conditions of retired teachers have also improved.
He called the work stoppage “insensitive” and that it is depriving school children of their constitutional right to education.
Readers will remember that only 24% of the 54,000 applicants passed the first phase of testing. The education minister stressed that the National Institute of Teacher Welfare (Inabima) and the National Institute of Teacher Training (Inafocam), have focused on the development of teachers to improve the quality of education.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...a-10-mil-postulantes-en-concurso-de-oposicion
https://elnacional.com.do/ministro-...nsensatez-paro-de-docencia-convocado-por-adp/
Public school teacher strike on the first week of school
Hundreds of public school teachers took off Thursday, 22 August 2019 to march to the Ministry of Education and present demands. The president of the Dominican Public School Teachers Guild (ADP), Xiomara Guante said the teachers demand a recall of the Public School Teacher Assessment 2019. The teachers also want fewer teaching hours and a review of the content of the extended day programs. Also demanded is better maintenance works at schools.
The march began at Av. 27 de Febrero and the teachers walked south to the Ministry of Education on Av. Máximo Gómez.
In 2018 the Ministry carried out assessments to choose teachers for director positions by merit. The ADP rejected this. This year, the Ministry of Education required public school teachers to take a standardized test to assess their competencies for the jobs. Most teachers failed. The ADP now objects to the test. An editorial in Diario Libre criticizes the ADP position while it praises recent actions of the Ministry of Education to base promotions and hiring on merit.
School began nationwide in the Dominican Republic on Monday, 19 August 2019.
https://eldia.com.do/profesores-marchan-al-ministerio-de-educacion/
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/editorial/tapadera-magisterial-EO13849368
https://n.com.do/2019/08/23/ministr...oras-en-calidad-de-vida-y-formacion-continua/
Elvis Crespo: Time to teach merengue in Dominican schools
Puerto Rican singer Elvis Crespo said on Thursday, 22 August 2019 advocates teaching the original merengue with guira and drum in schools in the Dominican Republic.
During a visit to El Nuevo Diario, Crespo said that efforts are needed to keep the genre alive. These are days when modern Latin Urban music (reggaeton, hip hop, Latin Pop, Dance, Salsa) are more popular with the new generations.
While merengue is part of the national identity of Dominicans, it is rarely heard on radio stations today.
Merengue music and dance was inscribed in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
On the positive side, Crespo observes that many artists from other genres are now creating merengues. He mentioned this is the case of “Lo que pasó pasó” by Daddy Yankee and “El Doctorado”, modernized version.
26 November celebrates National Merengue Day in the Dominican Republic.
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/video-...ir-clases-de-merengues-en-las-escuelas-de-rd/
Director of OISOE says there was sabotage at San Juan de la Maguana hospital
The director of the Office of Supervising Engineers of Public Works (OISOE), Francisco Pagan told reporters that persons unknown knocked a hole in the roof of the Alejandro Cabral Regional Hospital in San Juan de la Maguana. Water accumulated from a recent rain shower then entered the hospital. The incident is under investigation. He denied there were flaws in the construction. Pagan said the hole was drilled through the roof.
Multiple reports have been featured in the media criticizing the quality of the public hospital constructions under the OISOE, a division of the Presidency.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/22/...oe-denuncia-sabotaje-en-hospital-de-san-juan/
Ministry of Agriculture backs avocado plantations, signs with Sur Futuro Foundation
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Sur Futuro Foundation have inked a RD$40 million agreement for the production of tree seedlings to be planted in the highlands of the southwest of the country. The agreement, signed by Minister Osmar Benítez and Sur Futuro’s Melba Segura de Grullón, is aimed at promoting sustainable food production through the planting of coffee and avocado trees.
Benítez, for years the head of the Agro-Business Board (JAD), told El Caribe reporters that the goal is to plant some 750,000 tareas (about 50,000 hectares) included in the project, at a cost of RD$10 billion. He said that 436,000 tareas were planted with coffee, avocados and hardwoods, which are to the benefit of more than 9,000 families in the areas. He noted that 150,000 tareas of coffee and 50,000 tareas of the Hass variety of avocados were planted. The project started in five provinces and because of its impact, it will expand into the Cibao Valley and the Northwest Line (Mao, Santiago Rodríguez, Dajabón and Montecristi).
Benítez explained that the government is investing about RD$5,000 per month on each family until the different crops come into harvest. At that moment, they expect that some RD$25 billion will be produced.
The Ministry is in charge of certifying the seeds used in the nurseries run by Sur Futuro.
For her part, Melba Segura told reporters that Sur Futuro was very pleased with the renewal of the agreement.
Most of the varieties of avocado to be planted are aimed at the export markets of the United States and Europe.
As reported, Sur Futuro is charged with the production of some 2,400,000 seedlings of coffee and avocado. These trees will be planted in the watersheds of the country and are said to contribute to reducing the impact of improper land use over decades.
The Ministry is promoting these as a way to “preserve the watersheds around the country.” Nevertheless, there is a significant controversy over the planting of Hass variety avocado trees. Moreso, the Medina administration has allowed the cultivation of avocado plantations in National Park areas. In the Dominican Republic, Grupo Jaragua has taken the lead to protest the action as in violation of Dominican law.
Globally, there is evidence that avocado growth is bad for the environment because the single crop depletes the soil and has intense water consumption requirements. Environmentalists explain that it leaves soils more vulnerable to diseases and requires intense use of pesticides that contaminate the soil and surrounding water sources. The avocado trees need sunlight to flourish better and shrubs and old trees are taken down to provide for the plantations, contributing to deforestation and to global warming and climate change.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/23/...cuerdan-fortalecer-reforestacion-zonas-altas/
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/24/...a-y-sur-futuro-impulsaran-siembra-de-plantas/
https://e-csr.net/benefits-avocados-production-bad-people-planet-27107/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...a-sierra-gobierno-apoya-produccion-ED10756233
https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/avocados-are-bad-for-the-planet-another-study-confirms
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...e-sustainable-cafe-food-cooking-a8663526.html
Oh happy day! Coraasan eliminates serious maintenance hole issues
Main avenues and side streets in Santiago were re-paved not too long ago. Then hundreds, if not thousands, of maintenance holes were left uncovered some even at a depth of 2”-3” below the level of the new roadways. This, in turn, created a series of deep potholes for drivers of all sorts of vehicles. There have been many accidents when people swerve to avoid the holes.
Recently, the Santiago Water and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan) has eliminated some 500 of these impediments to traffic flow, bringing the utility hole covers up to the level of the new pavement. The work cost RD$1,315,000. The work will certainly ease the tension caused by these below-the-surface sewer covers.
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/23/...oraasan-pone-nivel-de-las-vias-500-registros/
Claudio Caamaño: Ambiguities in electoral laws bode crash of the electoral system
Emerging politician Claudio Caamaño calls for the passing of a bill that would create the Tribunales Electorales de Primer Grado. These first-level electoral courts would hear most of the electoral-related cases in the provinces and the National District. Caamaño sees this as a solution to an expected legal bottleneck at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
Caamaño writes that the ambiguities in the Electoral Regime Law and the Political Parties Law will bring about a crash of the system and affect the outcome of the 2020 general elections. The TSE alone will not be able to handle the avalanche of recourses expected. He said the many cases the higher court is already handling before the election is evidence of what is to be expected once the elections take place.
On Saturday, Diario Libre reported that in just the past two weeks, the TSE has already received 20 recourses rejecting pre-electoral decisions by political parties and the Central Electoral Board. These are regarding decisions made by the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM).
There are 4,113 elective positions in just the municipal elections scheduled for 16 February 2020, not taking into account the 17 May 2020 congressional and presidential elections.
https://eldia.com.do/tse-cronica-de-un-colapso/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...ecursos-ante-el-tribunal-electoral-IM13865827
HanesBrands recognized during 50th anniversary of free zone industry
President Danilo Medina recognized HanesBrands for its contributions to industry in the Dominican Republic. The recognition came on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the export free zone industry model operation in the Dominican Republic. Gulf & Western Industries was first to implant the model in La Romana.
The Presidency recognized Hanes as the best employer, most socially responsible company, taxpayer, and for its consistent growth in exports.
The company manufactures in the Dominican Republic around 80% of the 250 million t-shirt units it sells globally. It has manufacturing centers in Las Americas and San Isidro free zones in the National District. It has been operating for 46 years and employs around 8,000 persons.
HanesBrands Caribe operations vice president Ricardo Pérez and Javier Chacón, chief executive for global manufacturing received the recognition from President Danilo Medina.
During the event held at the Cariátides Hall of the Presidential Palace, President Medina delivered recognitions to 88 free zone companies for their leadership, innovation, development, corporate social responsibility, hard currency generation, logistics services, among others.
https://www.metrord.do/do/noticias/...-aporte-al-fortalecimiento-zonas-francas.html
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...ersario-zonas-francas-en-rd-reconoce-empresas
Beer homebrewing takes off in Santiago
Over the last six years, the production of artisanal beers in the Cibao Valley and, in general, in the northern part of the Dominican Republic, has increased considerably. In Santiago alone five brands sell eight varieties, but there are many other home breweries.
Carlos Benoit, a young beer entrepreneur, says beer festivals held in the country have spurred the new beer culture. He notes that craft beers are now making an appearance in local bars and restaurants, food trucks, and entertainment centers.
Carlos Agelan of Agelaner Cervecería, an artisanal beer producer, says beer has health benefits. He said it is good for high blood pressure, because it is low in sodium, and has a lot of phosphorous that helps eliminate sodium. Agelan says that it is not true that beer is fattening, when drunk in moderation.
Light research by Listin Diario reporters reveals that the type of beer is popular with millennials. Traditional beers of the Dominican Republic still have the most market share.
https://listindiario.com/elnorte/2019/08/23/579376/las-cervezas-artesanales-ya-son-parte-del-cibao
http://talkingcraftbeer.com/016-agelaner-cerveceria-y-su-triguena-dominicana/
North Coast Highway claims three more victims
Speed kills. That is a truism borne out nearly daily on the roadways of the Dominican Republic. At the end of last week, three more young men were missing from their family’s dinner table. All three died on the north coast highway between Sosúa and Río San Juan in three different incidents.
Fabián Bonilla died when the motorcycle he was riding, a CG 125, crashed into a Hyundai mini-bus on the highway between Sosúa and Cabarete.
Luis Mena Suero (Morocho), who lived in Sosúa Abajo, perished from the injuries suffered in a single-car accident on the road between Gaspar Hernández and Río San Juan. According to witnesses, he lost control of the speeding vehicle when he attempted to avoid a pothole in the highway. He crashed his Honda Civic into a tree near the Bahía Prinicipe-Playa Magante.
Finally, a 17-year old known only as Mario died as he raced his moped (illegally) on the road between Cabarete and Sabaneta de Yásica.
It is no news that the Dominican Republic has the highest traffic fatality rate in the world among nations with over 100 kilometers of roads.
https://eldia.com.do/mueren-tres-jovenes-de-sosua-y-cabarete-en-accidentes-de-transito/
Justice Ministry requests pre-trial detention in Cesar Peralta drug trafficking case
The Justice Ministry filed a request for coercive measures against four of the nine people under arrest for their ties to the network of drug trafficker César Emilio Peralta, better known as "César El Abusador" (César the Abuser).
The Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services of the National District is asked to impose a year of pre-trial detention and the declaration of a complex case due to the number of defendants and the plurality of infractions they would have committed, in order to be able to carry out an exhaustive investigation and obtain more evidence to structure a strong case.
The request is for pre-trial custody against former Major League Baseball player Octavio Eduardo Dotel Diaz, Jose Bernabé Quitero, Obispo Feliz Lorenzo and Roberto Jose Caceres, arrested in the start of the case in local justice. The court set the hearing for Monday, 26 August 2019.
The accusations include drug trafficking, laundering of assets from illicit drug trafficking, and possession and use of firearms.
The director of communications for the Attorney General Office, Julieta Tejeda says a red alert has been placed globally for the capture of Cesar Emilio Peralta and his wife Marisol Mercedes Franco, among others sought in this case. The chief of the National Investigations Department (DNI), the local FBI, says that he could not tell if these have left the country because the investigations are up to the Attorney General Office.
A report in the Monday, 26 August issue of El Día says that César Emilio Peralta had another identity. He is also Eduardo Saldaña Rodríguez.
https://eldia.com.do/mp-solicita-un...-red-de-el-abusador-y-declarar-caso-complejo/
https://hoy.com.do/conoce-usted-los-detalles-sobre-la-red-de-narcotrafico-de-cesar-el-abusador/
https://hoy.com.do/esto-estan-hacie...dir-que-red-de-cesar-el-abusador-salga-de-rd/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...r-el-abusador-y-su-esposa-antes-del-operativo
https://n.com.do/2019/08/24/todo-sobre-cesar-el-abusador-los-hechos-que-no-conoces/
https://n.com.do/2019/08/25/nuria-p...anejaba-cesar-emilio-peralta-el-abusador-1-5/
https://lascalientesdelsur.com/naci...ace-4-anos-que-el-mp-le-daba-seguimiento.html
https://eldia.com.do/la-oficina-del-sheriff-incorpora-la-red-de-el-abusador-en-lista/
How money is laundered in the Peralta drug trafficking operations
The purchase of luxury automobiles and properties in the name of others (mostly willing but some not-so-willing) is one of the ways to money launder cash from illicit crime. Others are the opening entertainment locales and bars under legitimate commercial enterprises and carrying out murky transactions through currency exchange offices. The Attorney General Office lists these methods as those used by alleged drug kingpin Cesar Emilio Peralta (Cesar el Abusador), in his money laundering operations.
The Attorney General Office seeks pre-trial custody against Roberto Jose Caceres, Jose Bernabe Quiterio, former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and Obispo Feliz Lorenzo, the first arrested in the case against Cesar Emilio Peralta and his drug trafficking operation.
The case file indicates that there was a complete scheme for laundering the money from the Peralta large-scale operations of the cartel headed by Peralta. The Dominican government prosecutors file also includes retired MLB ballplayer Luis Castillo as one who “lent his name.” Dotel has explained he and Castillo are being tied to the case due to a US$1.6 million mortgage loan that they made to Eridania del Carmen Jorge Estrella in the case of two villas in Casa de Campo, one of which reportedly was property of convicted drug capo Quirino Ernesto Paulino. According to Dotel’s lawyers, the deal dates back to 2015. The lawyers noted that Dotel and Castillo were duped by the woman.
https://elnacional.com.do/revelan-como-red-lavaba-dinero-en-rd/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...lavado-de-activos-segun-el-ministerio-publico
https://www.boston.com/news/world-n...-in-dominican-republic-drug-trafficking-sweep
https://people.com/crime/retired-mlb-players-linked-drug-ring/
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/queens/news...ayers-linked-to-dominican-republic-drug-ring-
https://wfan.radio.com/articles/news/octavio-dotel-luis-castillo-linked-dominican-drug-ring
https://www.12up.com/posts/us-autho...red-to-have-targeted-david-ortiz-01djtg3kxgan
https://eldia.com.do/en-allanamient...mundial-de-octavio-dotel-denuncia-su-abogado/
https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ctavio-dotel-caught-largest/story?id=65091795
https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ctavio-dotel-caught-largest/story?id=65091795
https://www.eltiempo.com.do/unas-villas-en-la-romana-es-
https://n.com.do/2019/08/22/dotel-afirma-mi-cuarto-me-lo-gane-pichando-en-grandes-ligas/
https://n.com.do/2019/08/22/dotel-compro-villa-a-eridania-del-carmen-jorge-y-no-a-cesar-el-abusador/
https://lanaciondominicana.com/noticia/advierten-ex-toletero-de-grandes-ligas-esta-preso-por/82810/
https://lanaciondominicana.com/noticia/advierten-ex-toletero-de-grandes-ligas-esta-preso-por/82810/
El Dia: Nightclub network laundered drug trafficking cash
Drug capo Cesar Emilio Peralta was a big patron of the arts in the Dominican Republic, especially of urban artists. The capo had structured a network of nightclubs, drinks and other businesses to launder drug trafficking money.
A report in El Dia explains that the collaborators of drug capo Cesar Emilio Peralta (El Abusador) were able to avoid justice despite having track records in crime. El Dia points out that Yadher Rafael Jaquez Araujo (Jake Mate), was at the head of Jake Mate Productions that contracted leading performers. Jake Mate is a former member of the Dominican Air Force who in 2007 was arrested for being part of a gang of robbers. Released from charges, he would go on to become a prominent artistic contractor of urban music and salsa music performers.
He is now charged with being part of the Cesar Emilio Peralta drug trafficking organization (CPDTO). The nightclubs mentioned in the case are VIP Room (Zona Universitaria), La Kuora (Villa Consuelo), Flow Gallery Lounge (Villa Consuelo), and Aqua Club (Cristo Rey). Ozuna, Omega, Ala Jaza, Yiyo Sarante, El Alfa, Zion & Lennox, La Insuperable, Rochy RD were among the artists that frequently appeared at the nightclubs hired by the criminal organization.
The Attorney General Office now says these businesses served as meeting places to coordinate drug trafficking operations and front for the laundering of drug trafficking revenues.
El Dia observes that Jake Mate Productions also organized the Easter Bonche Las Terrenas in in which Puerto Ricans Ozuna, Arcangel and Farruko participated in 2018. In 2019, during the same event, Ozuna, La Insuperable and Omega were contracted.
El Dia reports that the extensive social media coverage in Instagram, Facebook and other media has since been removed.
https://eldia.com.do/la-red-dirigia-el-abusador-se-involucro-en-produccion-artistas/
Wife of Sergio Gómez: Go after the big fish
The wife of Sergio Gómez Díaz, Steisy de Gómez requested in extradition by the US in the case of Cesar Emilio Peralta (Cesar el Abusador), said there is no justice in the Dominican Republic. “To close cases and make the news and hide other things where the small fry get arrested while the big guys go free,” she sums up the situation for the press after the arrest of her husband. She asked the press why Cesar Emilio Peralta was not under arrest. She said that those who have so many millions they could buy the whole country are those who should be sought. “Where they are, go get them,” she said. She said the family has suffered with the search of their property.
Gómez Díaz is on the list of those sought in extradition by the United States together with Jesús Tapia Pérez, Baltazar Mesa and Jeifry del Rosario Gautier, and ring leader Cesar Emilio Peralta.
Sergio Gomez Diaz, José Tapia, Baltazar Mesa (El Maestro), José Jesús Tapia Pérez, (Bola Negra), Sergio Gómez Díaz stated in court they did not know Cesar Emilio Peralta.
The local law enforcement agencies received the extradition order and file with details on the Cesar Emilio Peralta criminal organization on 16 July 2019 but did not act against them until 20 August 2019, with the whereabouts of Peralta and his collaborators now unknown.
Gómez Díaz is on the list of the Attorney General Office prosecution in the case, not so on the list of the US Treasury designated Kingpin Act persons whose whereabouts are unknown. The missing persons sought by the US Treasury are: Cesar Emilio Peralta, Natanael Castro Cordero, Carlos Ariel Fernández Concepción, Kelvin Enrique Fernández Flaquer, Yadher Rafael (Jake Mate, Jaque Mate) Jaquez Araujo, Boarnerges Sánchez Nolasco (Warnel), Jhonan Alexander Ureña Martínez), Bernardo Antonio (Papi Cris) Valdez García, and Ramón Antonio (Toño Leña) Del Rosario Puente. The later was arrested in Colombia where he awaits extradition to the United States.
https://n.com.do/2019/08/23/supuest...afico-de-cesar-el-abusador-negaron-conocerlo/
https://eldia.com.do/esposa-de-serg...n-que-pagar-el-dano-moral-hecho-a-su-familia/
https://elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/23/...ed-cesar-el-abusador-dicen-que-no-lo-conocen/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ejos-y-a-los-pejes-grandes-los-dejan-sueltos-
https://eldia.com.do/esposa-de-serg...n-que-pagar-el-dano-moral-hecho-a-su-familia/
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/20190820_peralta_chart.pdf
Arrest order out for Marisol Franco, wife of Cesar Emilio Peralta
The Specialized Anti Assets Laundering Prosecutors Office and the National District prosecutor office issued an order of arrest against Marisol Mercedes Franco, wife of César Emilio Peralta (El Abusador) charged by the US as the leading drug capo in the Caribbean region. Marisol Franco is half-sister to Berlinesa Franco, widow of former Santo Domingo East Mayor Juan de los Santos, creator of the nationwide network of sports betting shops, known as Juancito Sport. Berlinesa Franco was named to head the National Institute of Attention to Early Infancy (INAIPI) after the death of her husband.
Both Marisol Mercedes and Berlinesa are daughters of Franklin Franco (Francisco José Franco Martínez), a US justice fugitive. Franco had been requested by the US government in extradition on accusations that he had evaded serving a jail sentence for trafficking in cocaine in the United States.
Julio Martínez Pozo said on his Sol de la Mañana talk show on Zol radio station said that Marisol Franco formalized her relationship marrying Cesar Emilio Peralta after the death of Juan de los Santos. He said the couple has been married for a year and a half. Martínez Pozo said that previously, Marisol Franco was married to PRM deputy for the National District 3, Sergio Moya (Gory), with whom she has two adult children.
It is now known that the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) requested the extradition of Marisol Mercedes Franco’s husband, Cesar Emilio Peralta and his chief collaborators on 18 July when making a personal visit to the Dominican Republic. The extradition request had been made via the Ministry of Foreign Relations on 16 July.
It would take local prosecutors until Tuesday, 21 August to carry out a sweep of 50 properties of the accused by the US government and order the arrest of Peralta. The weekend before the sweep, Peralta and several of his collaborators were seen enjoying a Latin music festival at the Hard Rock Punta Cana Hotel & Casino.
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/procur...a-marisol-franco-esposa-de-cesar-el-abusador/
https://m.elcaribe.com.do/2018/03/1...n-congresional-del-narcotrafico-dominicano-8/
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/14/...icials-sense-a-shift-in-dominican-policy.html
https://hoy.com.do/pgr-tardo-casi-un-mes-en-ejecutar-orden-arresto/
http://zolfm.com/noticia/55436/niega-juan-de-los-santos-fuera-cunado-de-cesar-el-abusador
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/procur...a-marisol-franco-esposa-de-cesar-el-abusador/
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm755
https://primeraplanany.com/internac...nal-y-estaba-casado-con-separacion-de-bienes/
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/14/...icials-sense-a-shift-in-dominican-policy.html
https://inaipi.gob.do/
Hipólito Mejía had pardoned Boarnerges Sánchez now accused again of drug trafficking
In 2003, a little more than a year before leaving office, former President Hipólito Mejía pardoned 43-year old Boanerges Sánchez Nolasco who at the time was in jail for trafficking in cocaine. Then, President Mejía signed Decree 176-03 with the pardon of the seven-year term Sánchez was serving at the Monte Plata jail. Mejía had reached the Presidency on the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) ticket. Guido Gómez Mazara was the legal advisor to the President and confirmed the decree.
Meanwhile, pardoned Sánchez Nolasco is back in the highlight for much of the same. The man aspired to run for senator for the opposition party PRM in the May 2020 congressional election. He is on the list of drug traffickers mentioned in the Kingpin Act-designated list published by the US Treasury. PRM party president said the party had reserved the position of senator for Hato Mayor for someone else.
The Attorney General of the Dominican Republic now accuses Sánchez of being part of the Cesar Emilio Peralta Drug Trafficking Organization that was reportedly dismantled last week.
Sánchez Nolasco is also known as "Warnel, la Letra W." He is brother of PRM deputy, Ronald Sánchez who has served as spokesman for the party in the Chamber of Deputies.
Now President Hipólito Mejía seeks to win the PRM presidential candidacy in the 6 October 2019 primary. The PRD years later would split into the PRD and the PRM.
Also running for the candidacy for senator for the party is Cristobal Castillo, a follower of Luis Abinader. Abinader is the best standing presidential pre-candidate in the PRM.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...lado-a-la-red-de-cesar-el-abusador-FI13829369
https://somospueblo.com/gomez-mazar...-hecho-campana-juntos-y-aspira-a-senador-prm/
https://m.elcaribe.com.do/2019/08/2...mejia-podria-precipitarse-en-octubre-proximo/
Dominican police spokesman is on payroll of MLB
An investigation in the Boston Globe newspaper reveals that the spokesman for the National Police in the Dominican Republic, Colonel Frank Felix Duran Mejia has been on the payroll of Major League Baseball for over a decade. Indeed he is one of three high-ranking Dominican law enforcement officials employed as MLB resident security agents.
The revelation is new even in the Dominican Republic. It adds to the local and international skepticism around the Dominican police and attorney general conclusions on the shooting against Red Sox retired baseball player David Ortiz in a bar in eastern Santo Domingo. The Police concluded it was a case of mistaken identity and that the bullets were aimed at Sixto David Fernández instead over a family grudge with his cousin Victor Hugo Gómez Vásquez.
The Boston Globe reports:
“The arrangement, at least to the few who have known of it, raises questions about Duran’s loyalties at a time when the police’s shifting accounts of the near-fatal June 9 shooting of Ortiz have been met with widespread skepticism. And security specialists who have worked in the Dominican Republic said the close ties with MLB inevitably raise questions about the objectivity of police officials.”
The Boston Globe is also reporting that the ballplayer has hired a former police chief of Boston to look into findings of the Dominican police regarding the shooting.
The La Cuestion radio talk show on Friday, 23 August shares an audio by Victor Hugo Gomez Vásquez, whom the Dominican police accused of the murder, and who says that investigations should be carried out into the main source of income of his cousin, Sixto David Fernández Vásquez.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...l-loyalties/aXPMV0GLF3RGMvpRiO4mwM/story.html
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...rs-find-out/kSwS3DwuIuQxSjtbcKFqZM/story.html
https://domiplay.net/podcast/la-cuestion-radio/super-7/13-00-2019-08-23-Fri
Fire at Torre Atiemar
Colonel José Luis Frometa of the Santo Domingo Firemen says there are only material damages after a fire affected Torre Atiemar on Av. Pedro Henríquez Ureña. The fire at the high rise began around 7am in the first floor where the gym is located. There are only three apartments occupied in the luxury building, according to El Dia.
Torre Atiemar is reportedly property of Spaniard Arturo del Tiempo who was arrested in Spain in 2010 accused of attempting to smuggle in 1,200 kilos of cocaine that were shipped from the Dominican Republic. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
The firemen reported that the fire could be seen up to the 18th floor because the smoke went up by the air-conditioning duct.
The firemen reported there were no human losses. The damages are yet to be quantified.
https://eldia.com.do/fuego-en-torre...so-y-la-humareda-se-propago-hasta-el-piso-18/
https://eldia.com.do/la-red-dirigia-el-abusador-se-involucro-en-produccion-artistas/
Dominican designs new look for Anna of “Frozen”
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York’s fourth-year fashion student Yelayny Placencia is the designer of the contemporary look for Anna, the iconic female character of “Frozen.” The design is intended for use in the Disney Broadway show.
Placencia is from the Dominican Republic and was one of ten students from the FIT that were chosen by the fashion school to present sketches to Disney on Broadway with new looks for 10 Disney heroines and characters. Disney on Broadway had asked the FIT to hold a competition among a select group of 100 students and choose the ten best proposals.
The student designers were asked for the new looks for Nala and Rafiki of “The Lion King”, Jane of “Tarzan,” Elsa and Anna of “Frozen,” Jasmine of “Aladdin”, Belle of “Beauty and the Beast”, Katherine of “Newsies”, Ariel of “The Little Mermaid” and Mary Poppins of “Mary Poppins.”
The contest is part of the 25th year celebrations of Disney stage productions and the 75th anniversary of the FIT.
Other winners of the contest are Marianna Gonzalez, Eunhye Jo, Ashna Moogi, Yelayny Placencia, Ruby SeoHee Shin, Annette Stone, Paige Walker, Georgianna Wells, Baoqing Yu and Sooyoung Yun.
The Fashion Institute of Technology is just three kilometers from the Broadway theater area.
From 19 September through 6 October 2019, the creations will be on view at the school’s Art & Design gallery in the Pomerantz Art and Design Center.
The WWD website reports that attendance of the shows could be up if the designs become a reality. “Chances are the Broadway productions of such shows as “Frozen” and “The Lion King,” could get a lift in attendance or perhaps a few more collegiate ticket purchases, as a result of the tie-up,” says the website. It explains that local theatergoers and tourists alike had bolstered Broadway show attendance to 14.77 million for the 2018-19 season compared to 13.79 the previous year, citing data from the Broadway League.
https://news.fitnyc.edu/2019/08/19/...-with-fit-in-celebration-of-25th-anniversary/
https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashio...nology-for-stage-inspired-designs-1203241335/
https://listindiario.com/la-vida/20...isenaran-vestuarios-para-personajes-de-disney
Dominican basketball team in China for FIBA World Cup
The Dominican national basketball team will be competing in the FIBA World Cup, a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Thirty-two teams are participating in the preliminary group stage. The Dominican Republic does not have a chance at qualifying.
The 14-member team under coach Nestor García is made up by players Adris De Leon, Rigoberto Mendoza, Jean Montero, Dagoberto Pena, Victor Liz, Luis D. Montero, Eloy Vargas, Gelvis Solano, Juan Migel Suero, Sadiel Rojas, Juan Jose Garcia, Eulis Baez, Ronald Ramon, and Ronald Roberts Jr.
Before the start of the FIBA World Cup, the Dominican team will play in the 2019 Suzhou International Basketball Challenge (Atlas Challenge) from 23-27 August. Eight international teams, China, Dominican Republic, Greece, Jordan, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Turkey and Venezuela, will be playing in this tournament held in Suzhou, China as a final lead up to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, tipping off on 31 August in China. In the first game of the Atlas Challenge, the Dominican Republic defeated China 87-72 in the Suzhou Sports Center. At the close of this issue, in another game in the Atlas Challenge, Greece defeated the DR 87-75 in a highly contested game.
In the FIBA World Cup, the Dominican Republic is scheduled to play against Germany, France and Jordan in the first round of the tournament. The Dominican Republic opens playing in Group G against Jordan in Shenzhen, China.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/groups
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/game/3108/Dominican-Republic-Jordan
https://www.eurohoops.net/en/fibawc...19-suzhou-international-basketball-challenge/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJC3mRYrN7I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDuy-s1WxOU
Dominican Republic is on the path of Dorian
Tropical Storm Dorian is moving west onto Caribbean waters. The National Hurricane Center does not has it with hurricane status when it crosses by Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic by its eastern coast. Stormy weather is expected as of Thursday, 29 August 2019 on the island. The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) is calling for all to closely monitor the storm as it moves west.
This is a time to complete pre-hurricane preparations. Reports on DR1 Weather & Beyond Forum’s “2019 Hurricane Season” thread indicate that this could be an intense September and October for the Dominican Republic. Preparations for a major storm should be underway. End of August and September is the peak time for hurricanes in the Caribbean.
Follow the storm at
https://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/175150-2019-Hurricane-Season?p=1971172#post1971172
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/114042.shtml?cone#contents
Last edited: