A US federal court in the Southern District of Florida has sentenced a second key member of a Dominican drug trafficking organization led by National District Councilman Edickson Herrera Silvestre, Listin Diario reports.
José Eduviges Aponte Torres, known by the aliases “Buby” or “Meano,” was sentenced to 87 months (7 years and 3 months) in prison for his role in trafficking approximately 376 kilograms of cocaine from the northern coast of the Dominican Republic to the United States.
Following his prison term, US District Judge Beth Bloom ordered Aponte Torres to serve two years of supervised release. The sentencing, finalized on 15 December 2025, marks the latest blow to a criminal structure that bridged Dominican politics, high-ranking military officials, and international narcotics trade.
The sentencing of Aponte Torres follows that of retired Dominican National Police General William Durán Jerez, who recently received a similar seven-year sentence for his collaboration in the ring.
The ringleader, Councilman Edickson Herrera Silvestre (elected for the Modern Revolutionary Party, PRM), is currently awaiting his own fate. Known in political circles as “Yeyea,” Silvestre has been suspended from his municipal duties and is scheduled for sentencing on 8 January 2026.
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Listin Diario
22 December 2025