The Attorney General Office’s prosecution branch, the Public Ministry identified six drug families that make up a criminal structure dismantled through Operacion Caimán (Cayman Operation). These are charged with moving more than 28 tons of cocaine from December 2021 to date, to the United States, Puerto Rico and Europe.
The Public Ministry says the organizations handled enormous amounts of money from drug trafficking, which they used to pay bribes to politicians, merchants, businessmen and the military to obtain information and carry out their illicit operations.
The members of the drug families planned, transported and executed cocaine trafficking from South America to the Dominican Republic by sending artisanal boats (Gofast) to Colombian territory. These returned with kilos of narcotics to selected places along the southern coast of the country, specifically in the provinces of Peravia, Barahona and Pedernales, for the subsequent transshipment by different means to the United States, Puerto Rico and Europe.
According to the authorities, the provinces of Barahona and Pedernales have become the epicenter of international drug trafficking operations and are controlled by drug families and fragmented organizations that play a fundamental role in the proliferation of crime.
The drug families maintain their cocaine transport operations in places along the southern coast because the distance to Colombia is less.
In the document presented with the charges, the Public Ministry identifies 37 members of the drug families that control of the provinces of Peravia, Barahona, Pedernales and Azua, in the southern region.
The groups are:
Cuevas/Féliz: Melbin Martínez Féliz, Wilkin Joel Cuevas Ferreras, Geise Féliz Pérez, Zequiel Féliz, Wilmer Joel Cuevas, Welington Ford, Lionni Sepúlveda Féliz (fugitive), Florángel Féliz, Humberto Bienvenido Báez Khoury (fugitive), Meregildo Segura, Luis Carrasco and Máximo Ruiz. Other members are prisoners Oswaldo Colina, Miguel Carrasco, Juan Díaz, Gardy Sánchez and Pablo Mayo.
Guevara: Andry Guevara and Juan Carlos Guevara as involved.
Ciguillos: Wilson Rodríguez, Jerbison López, Manuel Vidal, Mister Álvarez and Manuel Fernández.
La Santa: Gloria Cuevas, Carlos Cuevas and Elson Cuevas.
Lego: Féliz Ferreras family, with Richard Féliz, Juan Carlos Féliz Ferreras, Enmanuel Féliz Ferreras, Richard Féliz Ferreras, José Franco and Leidy Ledesma.
Flores: Florián group, with its members Onassis Cuevas Florián and Benny Ariel Florián Féliz.
The Public Ministry indicates in the document that with the illicit activities carried out in the southern region, has led to the development of a narcoculture and narcoeconomy among the population.
The investigation by the Public Ministry establishes ties of those singled out now as part of the Cayman Operation reveals that those involved in the international drug trafficking criminal organization of the Caimán case are linked to Ramón Eduardo Piña Reyes (Bombón or El Guardia), accused of the Larva case network, a structure that was dismantled on 17 March 2020 and 700 kilos of drugs were seized in Nigua, San Cristóbal.
The Public Ministry has requested 18 months preventive custody for those accused in the Caimán case and that the process be declared complex.
A judge from the Barahona Permanent Attention Office is scheduled to hear the preventive measures on Friday, 19 April 2024.
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DR1 News & Forum
17 April 2024