MP presents formal accusation against councilman Walky Cuevas for drug trafficking and money laundering

SANTO DOMINGO. – The Specialized Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Prosecutor's Office, along with the Prosecutor's Office of San Pedro de Macorís, filed a formal indictment against councilman Walky Cuevas Charles, who is linked to a criminal network dedicated to drug trafficking and money laundering, headed by the already convicted Yunior Santos Restrepo. Along with Cuevas Charles, Pamela Astacio, Óscar Santana, Aníbal Fiorentino Rondón, Moisés Francisco Astacio and the legal entity W. Cuevas Auto Import were also charged for incurring in the criminal types related to money laundering from drug trafficking.

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Investigating prosecutors José Manuel Calzado and Manuel Santiago Castro Lora concluded the case file based on documentary, testimonial, and financial evidence which, they claim, will allow the courts to admit the accusation and apply the corresponding sanctions. The investigation was supported by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Joint Information and Coordination Center (CICC), and the Department of Investigation Against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (DIFLA), attached to the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD). Thanks to this international collaboration, the systematic use of remittances, transfers, and cash deposits as mechanisms for money laundering was documented, using false identities and third-party bank accounts to introduce large sums of illicit money from drug trafficking into the financial system. According to the accusation, the main defendant in this stage of the process placed, stratified, and reintegrated into the national economy RD$264,876,599.60 and USD$1,063,632.59, through different banking products. The other members of the network acquired goods, converted the money into apparently legal assets, and actively participated in drug trafficking operations.

The Case

On September 21, 2023, the Public Ministry arrested Yunior Santos Restrepo, the leader of the network, during a series of simultaneous raids. In these operations, 93 packages of cocaine with a total weight of 96.72 kilograms were seized, as well as firearms, ammunition, luxury vehicles, cash, jewelry, watches, and electronic devices, whose analysis allowed to directly link other members of the criminal organization. Santos Restrepo was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while his partner, Yohan Altagracia Reyes Ruiz, received a sentence of 5 years. In addition, the seizure of assets acquired with illicit funds was ordered. As part of the investigation, several direct relatives of Santos Restrepo were also arrested and charged, who acted as figureheads and facilitators in the concealment of assets obtained through illicit activities. The heads of the Ramona Nova and Suleyka Mateo, from the Anti-Money Laundering Prosecutor's Office and the Prosecutor's Office of San Pedro de Macorís, reiterated their commitment to the fight against organized crime and assured that they will continue to prosecute complex cases with the aim of obtaining exemplary convictions.