For years, more than 20 people have handled a complex and extensive organized crime group that used Dominican territory as a base for drug and international arms trafficking to countries in America and Europe, as well as the gang. of assets and illicit financing of political campaigns.
Although several of them had already been captured for links to money laundering and drug trafficking, they obtained their freedom despite the serious charges against them and resumed their actions, positioning the captain of this network as a of the most important in the region.
The geographical position of the country was an aspect that this structure of international organized crime knew how to take advantage of as an operational base, importing multiple shipments of cocaine that generated hundreds of assets and millions of assets today invested in the Dominican Republic. United States and other countries. How did they manage to do all this without the authorities knowing it and re-offending these crimes?
As an “unprecedented”, this is how the authorities describe the operating scheme set up by Erick Randhiel mosque Polanco, who according to investigations has become a powerful and feared international drug trafficker.
The organization’s headquarters are located in the province of Santiago de los Caballeros, from where illicit operations were systematically handled “under a typical scheme of transnational criminal organizations, linked to mega drug trafficking operations.”
The reason several of the defendants previously prosecuted for drug trafficking returned to their former illegal operations may be behind one of their money laundering strategies: funding elected political candidates.
Seats in the National Congress, mayors, municipal council, among other entities, were those that allegedly sponsored with the aim of having advocacy and power.
The request for a measure of coercion, to which this newspaper had access, adds that to keep its activities under a protection scheme, this extensive framework he bribed authorities and kept hundreds of citizens frightened under threats, In the places in which they unfolded his criminal operations like the municipality of Miches or the call City Heart.
It is also indicated among its characteristics that they evaded the criminal persecution of the authorities, called to avoid that the facts already investigated took place; equally, they came out of court proceedings easily, despite the seriousness of the allegations.
Its activities have been monitored by international organizations since November 2017, which say they are engaged in money laundering as a result and illicit profit to mobilize large shipments of drugs from South America (Colombia and Venezuela) to the Dominican Republic with final destination in the United States of America, Puerto Rico and Europe, Using speedboats, sport boats (double bottom), fishing boats and containers.
Likewise, the leaders of the alleged transnational drug trafficking organization, Erick Mosqueja and Juan José de la Cruz Morales to coordinate drug trafficking activities contacted the other members through the BlackBerry BBM-PIN platform, which became popular in the country in the beginning of the 2010s.
Although it seems strange for the disuse that the application has suffered in recent years, this was the communication channel used to carry out the coordination of drug trafficking and money laundering “because it was considered a high level of information security. and difficult to intercept, in addition to this messaging service allowing them to write and not use voice as well as to use users, instead of using their names. “
In section number 39 of the factual and circumstantial account of the facts it is related that, as a result of a strong blow in Puerto Rico against the framework, possibly in an occasion that mosqueja was captured in 2016, is that they begin the tasks in Santiago, city in which they continued “Washing more money through large illicit investments in the financial and non – financial sector”.
National and international authorities involved in the investigation were able to identify movements of billions of pesos in some cases unjustified and in others mixed with lawful money to introduce them without suspicion into the formal Dominican economy.
Among these forms of money laundering can be noted one of which is accused by those responsible for keeping the accounts of Erick Randhiel fuel stations mosque Polanco, which is to introduce a higher sales report to mix money lawful with illicit money.
Another of the typologies they used was the placement in the real estate sector through the acquisition of estates, land, houses, apartments, apartments, buildings and commercial premises, for personal use and enjoyment and concealment of money. licit, firearms and controlled substances, using in their family environment, establishing a criminal structure similar to that traditionally followed by the Italian mafia, integrating the family as an essential part of the illicit business.y legal persons constituted for these purposes.
Similarly, stratification in the real estate sector through the acquisition of land where buildings and residential buildings are then built for sales and rental purposes, using builders and engineers who allegedly work for the criminal organization and, in the case of rentals, through a company that conducted its business through the Airbnb platform.
Another way in which the criminal society laundered assets was the use of the financial sector by buying and selling foreign exchange or acquiring loans, paid off in the short term to justify the purchase of real estate and high-end vehicles. , as well as financial certificates, transfers between companies to justify business transactions.
The Public Ministry lists as the fourth form of operation, livestock and agricultural production, specifically the banana industry.
In addition to gas stations, nightclubs, vehicle and engine dealers, vehicle rental, hardware stores and restaurants, business cash sales allow you to alter bills and the amount of revenue, facilitating the movement of gross money.
For the value it represents in the market, they also took advantage of the placement of large sums of money in works of art, high-end vehicles, boats, watches and valuable jewelry.
Known typologies in the non-financial sector in the area of gambling are added to the list, specifically betting banks to justify profits, even if it represents losses in proportion to the money invested.
Sport is not exempt from being used as a means for these illegal activities, as they also take advantage of the representation of professional players hired by recognized baseball firms to justify income, through a company called Baseball Academy Agramonte Torres SRL.
involved
Those who make up the structure of organized crime, called by the Public Ministry as “Operation Falcon” and led by Erick Randhiel mosque Polanco and Juan José de la Cruz Morales, are: Maria Olimpia Tavares Rodríguez, Juan Maldonado Castro, Víctor Elpidio Altagracia Paulino Herrera , Luis Daniel Nieves Batista, Adolfo Antonio Torres Sanabia, Juli Cèsar Jiménez Talavera, Joan Baptista Carpio Reynoso, José Alejandro de la Creu Morales, Raúl Antonio Castro Mota, Yana Iris Maldonado Castro, Angélica María Maldonado Castro, Lenin Bladimir Torres Bé, Marisol López Ceballos, Delfina Assumpció Polanco, Ana Margarita Coll Mart, Erich Fernando Meléndez Gómez, José Miguel Castillo Taveras, Elva Teresa Polanco, Joan Carles Durán Rogríguez, Javier Antonio Tavares Rodríguez and Felipe Espino Germán.
Characteristics
The prosecution established 29 main features of the network of organized crime in the so-called “Operation Falcon”, which was dismantled last Wednesday with more than 100 rapes in Santiago, Santo Domingo, the National District and other demarcations of the country.
One of these features is that they carried and trafficked high-caliber firearms, many of them only allowed for use by police and military as is the case with rifles.