The secretary general of Interpol, Ronald Noble, has congratulated the Dominican Republic Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) in Santo Domingo, which he described as “among the world police organization’s best performing” after operations that allowed the arrest of major criminals who had been sought internationally, including several mafia bosses.
Noble personally congratulated the Dominican police chief, Jose Antonio Polanco Gomez, at the Interpol offices in Santo Domingo. The Dominican Interpol division captures include Camorra boss Ciro Mazzarella, on Italy’s top 100 wanted list, and Mafia lieutenant Mariano Martone, in addition to seven other high profile Italian fugitives wanted via Interpol, and most recently on 17 April, the arrest at the Puerto Plata airport of a Canadian man wanted on pedophile charges, as reported by the Interpol.
Noble said that these successes were testimony to what can be achieved when countries work together via Interpol, praising NCB Rome for their actions in requesting the Interpol Red Notices that made the arrests in the Dominican Republic possible.
“The arrests of these international fugitives in the Dominican Republic clearly show that our country is no safe haven for criminals who are attempting to flee justice,” said Major General Gomez during a visit to the Interpol headquarers in Lyon, France.
“From my discussions today with the Interpol Secretary General, with increased access to Interpol’s tools for our frontline officers and support from other member countries, I am certain that we will see even more successes in the future,” concluded the head of Police.
As reported by Interpol, the discussions with the Dominican chief of the National Police included identifying ways to expand access to Interpol’s MIND/FIND technology which allows law enforcement officials at airports and seaports to instantly check passports against Interpol’s global database of stolen and lost travel documents containing information on over 27 million such documents from nearly 160 countries.
During his visit to the General Secretariat, Major General Gomez, accompanied by Head of NCB Santo Domingo Colonel Rafael A. Cabrera Sarita and Colonel Ney Aldrin de Jesus Bautista Almonte, was also briefed on a range of Interpol’s databases and activities, including its financial and high tech crime unit, drugs and anti-counterfeiting operations.