No official explanation has been given for the several trucks and mechanical shovels that extracted hundreds of cubic meters of sand from Long Beach, the public beach of Puerto Plata city. The trucks removed the sand in violation to Decree 2125 of 1972 that declared Long Beach a tourism priority and of national interest its protection. Deputy Minister of Tourism César José de los Santos after visiting the site prohibited further extraction of sand. El Caribe newspaper reported a motorcyclist commenting that the sand was being used by a government contractor.
