Military personnel are being busted for human smuggling after years of the authorities looking the other way.
Three Dominican soldiers have been sentenced to three months in prison for accepting bribes to smuggle Haitian migrants into the country.
The soldiers, Hansel Pérez García, Andro Américo Medina Guzmán, and Yunior Manuel Novas Cuevas, were stationed at the La Cadena checkpoint in the Carrizal-Elías Piña section. They were caught on surveillance footage accepting payments to allow Haitian nationals with irregular immigration status to cross the border.
The military personnel will serve their sentences at the Elías Piña Correctional and Rehabilitation Center.
This is not the first time Pérez García has been involved in such activities. According to press reports, he was implicated in a similar incident last June.
In recent weeks, Dominican authorities have arrested over 20 individuals, including military personnel, immigration officials, police officers, and civilians, on charges of human trafficking.
Major General Jorge Iván Camino Pérez, the commander-in-chief of the Dominican Army, stated, “Human trafficking involves many sectors. It is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach. It is an evil that we must combat.”
The arrests come amid increased efforts by the Dominican Republic to crack down on the smuggling of Haitian migrants. The issue has long been a source of tension between the two neighboring countries.
The measures come with the appointment of a new Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre, new Army commander Major General Jorge Ivan Camino Perez and new director of Migration Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester.
The measures are taken at a time when the security situation in Haiti has been worsening.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
24 October 2024