El Caribe and CDN (Cadena de Noticias) investigative reporters were able to purchase weapons with legal permits without being submitted to the required drug or psychiatric evaluations. Instead of taking the supposedly mandatory tests, the reporters paid a few extra pesos and the paperwork ?was taken care of?. Five different gun shops were caught on tape offering the ?all-inclusive? service when the reporters attempted to purchase new 9mm pistols at each location. In each case the store offered, for a little extra cash, to provide the permit without subjection to the required exams. The reporters also tell of individuals found at the reception area of the Ministry of the Interior and Police, who offer to procure the permits at a cost of RD$12,000 with ?no questions asked?.
Pedro Franco Bad?a, as Minister for the Interior and Police, said that he was surprised at what the reporters were showing him, but admitted that there was a gun culture in the Dominican Republic and that some people, if offered a choice between a job and a handgun, would choose the latter. He also said that 60 employees of the ministry had been fired for ?irregularities?, many of whom had worked with the ministry?s computers. Franco Bad?a said that there would be a formal investigation into the situation and that strong measures would be taken.