Santiago.- Under a large security operation, the main individuals involved in Operation XL526 were transferred on Tuesday afternoon to the small jail at the Santiago Palace of Justice and the Rafey Correction and Rehabilitation Center, after being arrested during an intervention by the Public Prosecutor’s Office that dismantled an alleged criminal network dedicated to defrauding, extorting, and blackmailing citizens residing in the United States.
The operation, led by the General Directorate of Prosecution and the Santiago Prosecutor’s Office, culminated in the arrest of 20 people and the execution of 28 simultaneous raids in the provinces of Santiago and Puerto Plata, where authorities seized evidence linked to the organization’s illicit activities.
Among those detained are the alleged ringleaders Carlos José Parra Lantigua, Eliardo Peña Almonte, Renso Darío González Almonte, Josiel Pichardo Cabrera, and Walinton Sosa Almonte, who remain in custody while the Public Prosecutor’s Office prepares the request for coercive measures.
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According to investigations, the criminal structure operated from the municipal district of Jacagua, in Santiago, using sophisticated technological mechanisms to target victims in U.S. territory. Subsequently, they subjected them to threats, psychological intimidation, and blackmail for the purpose of obtaining large sums of money.
The authorities indicated that the members of the network were fluent in English and followed pre-written scripts to deceive their victims. In many cases, they posed as members of international criminal organizations, including the so-called “Sinaloa Cartel,” sending threatening messages and violent images to instill fear and force payments.
In addition to the main defendants, Moisés David Pichardo Aracena, Pedro Antonio Pichardo, Yumeiry Altagracia Cabrera, Danny Rafael Lantigua, Augusto José Reyes, and Julio Antonio Peralta del Rosario were arrested, while eight other people remain in custody for investigation purposes. Authorities are actively searching for another alleged member of the organization.
The Public Ministry revealed that the money obtained through extortion was channeled through cryptocurrencies, electronic transfers, remittance companies, and digital payment platforms, with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the resources and making them difficult to trace.
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The investigation also establishes that the organization exhibited an apparent lifestyle of economic prosperity to attract new members, mainly young people from Santiago and nearby towns.
The defendants will face charges for criminal association, high-tech crimes, fraud, extortion, blackmail, illicit acquisition of funds, illicit enrichment, money laundering, distribution of controlled substances, and illegal possession of firearms.
Operation XL526 was executed by 35 prosecutors, with the support of specialized investigative agencies, the National Police, HSI Santo Domingo, and the Joint Task Force against Organized Crime. According to the authorities, the network’s actions caused severe emotional and psychological damage to numerous victims and their families, who were subjected for years to constant threats and mechanisms of coercion.
