Criminal structure dedicated to theft and alteration of vehicles is dismantled
Police officers from the Stolen Vehicle Investigation Operational Department II managed to dismantle a criminal structure dedicated to the theft and alteration of vehicles, with the sequential arrest of three members in an operation carried out in the municipality of Salcedo, Hermanas Mirabal province; Bonao, Monseñor Nouel province, and La Vega.
Among those arrested are Héctor De Jesús Muñoz Abreu (a) Mantequilla, 32 years old, resident in Santiago; José Miguel Mercedes Montero (a) Miguel, 50, resident in Navarrete; and Samuel Grullón Tavares, 40, resident in La Vega. During the operation, they seized a Kia Río vehicle, white, 2014, license plate A607231, with an altered chassis and pending expertise to determine its origin.
In addition, other vehicles linked to this criminal network were recovered. Among them is a Kia K5, black, 2015, license plate A826529, located abandoned in Villa Vásquez. After inspection, its original chassis was restored, which corresponds to another vehicle stolen in La Vega.
A Hyundai Santa Fe, white, 2015, plate G604768, abandoned in the same sector, was also recovered, whose original chassis corresponds to a vehicle reported stolen in San Pedro de Macorís. In another operation, a Kia K5, white, 2020 was located. , plate AA33564 (false), in the Sonador sector of Bonao, which had been marketed after being altered. Likewise, a white Honda Civic, 2016, license plate A973379, found in Jima Abajo, La Vega, was recovered, both with altered chassis and falsified security seals.
Modus operandi
The criminal structure, led by Willian Díaz Peña (a) Hermanito and/or El Gordo, currently a fugitive, was dedicated to stealing vehicles, altering their chassis numbers and security seals, and using false documents to market them. Along with him, Wandy Omar Veras Novo (a) El Professor, in charge of the technical alterations, and Andy De Jesús Gutiérrez Grullón, collaborator in the theft of the vehicles, remain at large.
Exhortation
The National Police urges citizens that, before purchasing any vehicle, whether new, used or imported, they take it to the Stolen Vehicle Investigation Operational Department II to carry out a thorough debugging.
This process guarantees the issuance of an official certification confirming that the vehicle meets all legal requirements.
With this simple step, buyers can avoid being victims of scams by criminal structures dedicated to theft and alteration of vehicles, protecting their investment and helping to combat this type of crime.
