Santo Domingo.- The hearing to know the measure of coercion in the case Panthera 7 It was postponed to Wednesday, January 29 at the Palace of Justice of the Santo Domingo province, after the incorporation of an eighth person involved. This judicial process is related to the historical seizure of a cache of 9.8 tons of cocaineconfiscated last December at the Caucedo Multimodal Port, one of the biggest blows to drug trafficking in the country.
Reasons for postponement
The postponement was necessary due to the recent surrender of the eighth defendant, who, according to authorities, would be directly linked to the operations of the drug trafficking network dismantled during the Operation Panthera 7. His lawyer, Alexander Enrique Castro, explained that his client will be added to the file of the other seven defendants before the hearing resumes.
“There is a new defendant who has joined the process, so the other parties will be notified so that they can refer to the update of the file,” declared Víctor Renato Castro, defense lawyer.
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Profile of those involved
The case includes several key figures, including: Enriquillo Luis Britodirector of the municipal district of Bayahibe, and his son Enrique José Luis Britoboth arrested for their alleged connection with the shipment of the cache. Also José Nicolás Castillo Hartalias “Nikito”, Winston Armando Tejera Rodríguezalias “Barbikin”, Cristian Rayner Canela Aybar, Nelson Neftalí Mercedes Lugo and Dulvi Jesús De los Santos.
The actions of the Public Ministry
The Public Ministry has requested 18 months of preventive detention for all defendants, a measure they consider necessary to avoid obstructions to the investigation. In addition, they have requested that the case be declared complexwhich will allow the investigation time to be extended due to the magnitude of the operations of this criminal network.
Prosecutors have pointed out that the international drug trafficking network used key ports in the Dominican Republic as strategic points for shipping drugs to Europe and the United States. According to authorities, the seized shipment would be part of a transnational operation financed by high-profile cartels.
More details of the Panthera 7 case
The dismantled network would be made up of local and international collaborators, and would have used sophisticated mechanisms to camouflage the cargo in export containers. It is believed that they had access to key ports in the country, such as the Multimodal Caucedo, thanks to the complicity of employees at different operational levels.
The operation Panthera 7 It is part of a joint effort between the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD)he Public Ministry and international intelligence agencies. This case has generated great attention due to the political and social implications, since it includes public figures, such as the director of the municipal district of Bayahibe.
