Court upholds 20 and 10 year sentences for those involved in money laundering network linked to drug trafficking

SANTO DOMINGO. – A court in San Cristóbal confirmed the sentences of 20 and 10 years in prison against two members of a criminal structure dedicated to money laundering and drug trafficking, which in 2021 seized 892.21 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride. The First Chamber of the Criminal Chamber of the Judicial Department of San Cristóbal rejected the appeal filed by Jhon Braulio Acuña Chavarría and Haidee Gabriela Hernández de Acuña, concluding that the Public Ministry reliably proved the imputed facts and that the original sentence lacks the defects alleged by the defense. Acuña Chavarría is serving a 20-year sentence, while Hernández de Acuña was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

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In addition to the custodial sentences, sentence no. 301-04-2024-SSEN-00125, issued on November 12, 2024 by the Collegiate Court of the Judicial District of Peravia, imposed fines equivalent to 400 and 200 minimum wages, respectively. It also ratified the seizure of seven luxury properties, high-end vehicles, cash, and firearms, including rifles and pistols. The Public Ministry explained that the criminal network was made up of Dominican, Dutch, Venezuelan, and Aruban citizens, who introduced large shipments of drugs into the country by sea. For this same case, Ronny Anyolin Guerrero Reyes was previously sentenced to eight years in prison and Carmen Magdalena Ramírez Pérez to five years of suspended imprisonment under conditions. Likewise, an Aruban citizen received a 20-year sentence, although he later died from health complications while receiving medical treatment. The authorities recalled that on April 29, 2021, 35 sacks with 872 packages of cocaine were seized, for a total of 892.21 kilograms, identified with the “La Patrona” logo and confirmed by the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif). To this was added the seizure of another 26.4 kilograms of cocaine at the residence of Albertico Franklin Leyng and David Alberto Leug, both fugitives. Prosecutor Ramona Nova Cabrera, head of the Specialized Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Prosecutor’s Office, and Peravia prosecutor Ángel Darío Tejeda Fabal, valued the judicial decision, highlighting that the evidence presented was “harmonious between the facts and the law”, achieving a firm conviction against a transnational criminal structure.