The Attorney General Office announced it has carried out phase one of what it named Operation Atlantic to combat human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and migrant smuggling on the north coast. The law enforcement actions concentrated on the northern municipality of Sosua, Puerto Plata.
According to the Attorney General Office, as part of the operation’s first phase, authorities have established a new special prosecutor’s office in Sosúa to focus on crimes such as pimping, trafficking in persons, and illegal migration.
As part of Operation Atlantic, the authorities executed 29 search warrants and intervened in 12 lodging establishments—comprising over 250 rooms—as well as 17 alcohol-serving venues. During these raids, officials identified 174 women, including six minors, and 22 men, and seized weapons and other evidence linked to the alleged crimes.
“Operation Atlantic is not just a single enforcement action—it’s a broader, multi-phase strategy,” said Deputy Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso. She noted that the operation’s scale and complexity led the Public Ministry’s Superior Council to approve the creation of the new prosecutorial unit in Sosúa.
“This specialized prosecutor’s office will oversee ongoing investigations into prostitution rings, trafficking in persons, commercial sexual exploitation, migrant smuggling, and narcotics sales,” Reynoso said.
The broader strategy includes sustained action in Sosúa, coordinated by the Attorney General’s Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and Police, Ministry of Defense, National Police, National Drug Control Agency (DNCD), Migration Agency (DGM), Dominican Army, National Council for Children and Adolescents (Conani), the Children and Families Agency (Dinnaf), the Special Division for the Investigation of Transnational Crimes (Deide), and the Tourist Police (Politur).
The operation’s second phase will establish a permanent mixed patrol presence, intensify anti-drug efforts, and form an Inter-Institutional Coordination Board for Security and Sustainable Development Initiatives in Sosúa.
Operation Atlantic is part of a broader push to dismantle criminal networks operating in tourist hubs and protect vulnerable populations, especially women and children, from exploitation.
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Attorney General Office
14 July 2025