El Caribe reports on the latest from Azua, where Deivy Ramirez, aka “El Cojo,” turned himself in to the authorities yesterday. Ramirez was wanted in connection with Tuesday’s violent rampage that saw one journalist murdered and several injured. In the clash with law enforcement that sparked a convoluted quest for the gang members’ revenge, four delinquents were also killed. The following day, as police attempted to negotiate the peaceful surrender of the remaining wanted men, another gang member was also killed in a shootout. The question on everyone’s lips, however, concerned the whereabouts of gang leader Blas Pujols.
Heavily-armed agents and special forces descended on the town of Azua yesterday in a dragnet operation of the barrios where Pujols, who has evaded capture twice, was believed to be hiding. At 7pm, however, the agents gave up for the day and Pujols’ whereabouts remain unknown. His ability to elude the authorities has given Pujols an almost mythical reputation, with residents of the area saying he moves through the streets at all hours, in various disguises, and always armed “with as many as four guns,” says the El Caribe report.
As the town attempted to return to normalcy after three days of tension and bloodshed, a rumor circulated that Pujols had poisoned the water in the aqueduct. An analysis of the water was conducted and no evidence of any tampering was found. The local hospital was only accepting emergency cases and police kept a vigil over the facility for fear the gang members would appear there. Rumor had it that Pujols was planning to place explosives at the hospital, as well as at the Instituto de Formacion Tecnico Profesional (Infotep), a technical training college.
The town of Azua is not only reeling from the tension of the police presence, the murder of reporter and respected environmental activist Juan Andujar, the threats and attacks on other members of the local press and the knowledge that gang members are still on the loose, but from the charges that police agents worked in collaboration with and provided support to the criminal organizations. A Listin Diario report speaks of the complicity and negligence of the previous political, police and judicial authorities from which stemmed the high rate of crime in the Azua area this year, where more than 12 lives have been claimed. The report says that criminal elements acted in collaboration with political leaders, that police agents were accomplices to crime and that the justice system was weak, factors that all helped create the “monster” that has had Azua’s 200,000 citizens at its mercy. Luis Sencion, the journalist whose arm was amputated due to injuries sustained by gang members on Tuesday, said in an interview with Hoy: “Everyone in Azua knows that…during May’s election, many delinquents were provided with weapons.” The newspaper blames the present situation on the arms that were distributed during the elections, drugs, poverty and police complicity. Yesterday, according to El Caribe, the authorities suspended Lieutenant Vitelio Ramirez Feliz, who is now charged with the murder of one person in Azua and under investigation for alleged ties to the gangs.