Diario Libre quotes national coordinator of property registration Wilson Gomez as saying that the falsification of property titles is a “mafia activity” on a par with drug cartels. It has powerful tentacles that reach across the country and beyond, moving millions in the process, said Gomez. This “mafia” involves many law firms and government officials, and concentrates mainly on areas where the land has greatest value, like Samana, Bahia de las Aguilas, Higuey, Barahona and Puerto Plata, as well as the capital. These activities have even attracted the attention of the US Treasury Department, said Gomez in an interview granted to the newspaper.