2023News

German accused of child sexual exploitation

Police agents, attached to the Department of Investigation of Trafficking and Smuggling of Persons, of the Central Investigation Agency (Dicrim), arrested on 20 January 2023, Werner Hubert Marchenbeck. The 59-year old German national is accused of recruiting minors to produce videos for sexual exploitation in the Costambar residential area of Puerto Plata, Diario Libre reports.

The man was apprehended through arrest and search warrant No. 609-01-2023-TAUT-00131, for alleged violation of article 334 and 334-1, of the Dominican Penal Code, modified by Law 24-97, article 3 of Law 137-03, on Protection of Children and Adolescents.

“The arrest of the foreigner was carried out last 20 January in coordination with the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Illicit Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Persons, with the support of the Central Tourism Police Agency (Politur), the Special Division for the Investigation of Transnational Crimes (DEIDET), and the Prosecutor’s Office of Puerto Plata,” the Police reported on Thursday, 26 January 2023.

According to the case report, a large amount of sex toys, condoms and cell phones were found in the raided villa of the foreigner.

The Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Service of Puerto Plata ordered three months preventive custody to Werner Hubert Marchenbeck.

In the past, previous cases of Germans involved in similar activities have been extradited to Germany.

Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre

31 January 2023