Dominican consul in New York Carlos Castillo disputed comments by James Hunt, the special agent in charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, in an El Pais news story that Dominicans and Colombians have taken over the drug trafficking market in New York City.
In a breakfast at the Listin Diario with other staff of the consulate, he denied statements made by the special agent of the DEA to El Pais that Dominicans lead drug sales in New York City. He said there are many Dominicans in the trade, but not in the numbers reported by Hunt. Castillo said the stereotyping of Dominican immigrants in the 80s and 90s as drug dealers does not correspond with reality. He said the reality is that 88% of the 800 supermarkets in New York are operated by Dominicans.
He remarked that the Las Maras Salvatruchas is a gang that has very much displaced Dominicans in terms of involvement in urban crime. He said that this gang is involved in drug trafficking, murder and kidnapping. He said this is an international criminal gang organization that originated in Los Angeles, California and has expanded to other regions in the United States and to Canada, Mexico, Central America and Europe.
Castillo said there are less than 14,000 Dominicans in jail in the US, down from a peak of 20,000. The consulate assists those in jail and those that have cases for deportation pending.
For the Listin Diario interview, Castillo was accompanied by deputy consuls Maria Mateo, Eduardo Hernandez and Victor Compres.
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Listin Diario
15 November 2017
