Seven prison officers allegedly linked to a prisoner's escape are arrested

Santo Domingo,- The Public Ministry and the National Police arrested seven prison surveillance agents who allegedly planned and acted in the escape of the prisoner Beilin Antonio de Peña (known as 'el Buda'), accused of two serious counts of homicide, from the Correction and Rehabilitation Center of La Isleta, in Moca.

The guards are accused of criminal association, obstruction of justice, as well as violation of articles 265, 266, 237 and 238 of the Dominican Penal Code, to the detriment of the General Directorate of Penitentiary and Correctional Services (DGSPC) and the Dominican State.

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The fugitive Antonio de Peña was serving his sentence for killing Raymond Emilio Castillo (referred to as 'Raymond') and shooting the young Shakira Naomi Lorenzo on July 21st of this year. The inmate escaped from prison on the morning of November 21st of this year. According to the Public Ministry, an interviewee confirmed that he had rented a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, red in color, license plate G766870, to the penitentiary agent Ogando Cuevas (detained), who served as supervisor of La Isleta prison. The vehicle was returned in the early hours of the morning of the day following the rental, coinciding with the date of the escape, the Prosecutor's Office indicated. Upon seeing the news of the escape, the vehicle owner recognized the fugitive as the person who was accompanying the prison officer during the vehicle rental. Both the detainee and the vehicle were placed under the control of the Public Prosecutor's Office. In addition, research teams from Espaillat and Barahona executed a search warrant in which a laptop and a tablet, five cell phones of different brands, 47,000 Dominican pesos in cash and three dollars were seized. As well as two official prison security seals, two debit cards, two identity cards, two license plates and two vehicle registration plates, in addition to eight "vouchers" for withdrawing money, a Super Gato CG250 motorcycle and a Honda Lead 110 scooter. Also, another intervention was carried out at the residence of a citizen located on the main road of Llena, in Moca. Meanwhile, the National Police maintains the pursuit of the fugitive Antonio de Peña.