The judge of guarantees of the First Judicial District, Mike Zúñiga Rodríguez, decreed the precautionary measure of provisional detention to 19 persons charged with the possible commission of a crime against public safety, in the form of conspiracy to commit drug-related crimes.
In addition, a citizen was ordered to be placed under house arrest. On the other hand, three citizens accused of the crimes of corruption of public servants and conspiracy to commit drug-related crimes were ordered to be placed under provisional detention and removed from their positions in two security forces. Likewise, another four people were ordered to report periodically to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
During the hearing, which began on Friday, August 16 at 2:00 pm and concluded on Wednesday, August 21 at 2:00 am, three sentencing agreements reached between the Public Prosecutor’s Office and private attorneys were validated. These agreements resulted in a sentence of 60 months in prison.
Previously, the judge legalized four exceptional searches, two surveillance and monitoring operations, and the arrest of the 29 citizens, and presented the formulation of the charges.
At this hearing, the Public Prosecutor’s Office was represented by prosecutor Joseph Alan Díaz, and the defendants were defended by 11 private technical defenders and four lawyers from the Public Defense Institute.
Both the defense and the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced appeals against the precautionary measures imposed, with the hearing scheduled for September 2 at 8:30 am, before the Superior Court of Appeals in Plaza Fortuna.
The investigation, known as “Operation Jericho,” began on June 30, 2023, following the identification of a criminal group dedicated to drug trafficking.
