Dominican Republic says colonel and officers stole police weapons and ammunition to sell to Haitians

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested a colonel and nine officers accused of stealing weapons and ammunition from the police department's armoury and illegally selling them to people including criminals in neighbouring Haiti, where violence has surged.

The crackdown that began Sunday is ongoing as officials continue to track down weapons and military supplies. The investigation began when authorities started reviewing inventories at the armoury.

The Associated Press obtained an official document on Thursday that sheds details on the ongoing investigation, including that the stolen supplies were sold to Haitians.

The document stated that one of the suspects arrested, a woman who lives in the southern Dominican province of Pedernales, which borders Haiti, is accused of receiving dozens of boxes of ammunition of different calibres that were sold from $86 to $99 each. It noted that Miguelina Bello Segura sold them to Haitians who would routinely use them to commit crimes.

The document also stated that the colonel who was arrested, Narciso Antonio Feliz Romero, received cash stuffed into a backpack from an officer who sold ammunition via a contact in Haiti.

Attorneys for Bello and Feliz could not be immediately reached for comment.

Overall, the scheme officials say was run by Feliz illegally sold more than 900,000 projectiles.

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.