Santo Domingo.– Authorities destroyed nearly 20 tons of expired, adulterated, and unfit-for-human-consumption food that was seized during several operations carried out in warehouses in the San Cristóbal province, where an alleged network dedicated to relabeling products was also dismantled.

Investigations establish that the merchandise was manipulated by altering expiration dates to be marketed again, a practice that posed a risk to the health of consumers.

The operations were carried out by the National Institute for the Protection of Consumer Rights (Pro Consumidor), the Specialized Fuel Control Corps (Ceccom), and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, institutions that are keeping the investigation open to determine the scope of the alleged structure’s operations.

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As part of the process, Randy García, owner of the intervened establishments, was arrested and brought to justice, and is currently serving a coercive measure while the investigations proceed.

Among the destroyed products were mass-consumption food items and other everyday goods that, according to authorities, had been relabeled or modified to appear as if they were still within their expiration period.

With the destruction of the merchandise, one of the phases of the process initiated after the inspections concludes, preventing those products from returning to the market and reaching the hands of consumers.

Authorities reported that investigations are ongoing to identify other individuals who may be linked to the alleged food fraud network.