Police clamp down on “Las Moscas” gang

Santo Domingo.-National Police chief José Armando Polanco Gómez announced that several membersof the gang known as “Las Moscas” (the flies) who held up and robbed severalPresidential Social Plan trucks have been arrested and that investigators areworking to identify the rest.

Last night at leastfour members of the gang were arrested, including one who was wounded duringone of the incidents. The police chief described their actions as vandalism andsaid it could not be explained how these men were able to extract the boxes inthe presence of the soldiers guarding the trucks who in many cases do notrespond more forcefully to prevent a tragedy.

He said the gangmembers, who robbed trucks transporting Christmas boxes for distribution inpoor barrios and rural communities, had been identified.

“This is anunacceptable case of vandalism that the Police and society cannot allow tohappen,” said the chief of Police, Major General José Armando Polanco Gómez, sayingthat measures were being taken to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

Photographs of oneof the robberies, on 27 de Febrero Avenue in Santo Domingo, were published inthe local press over the weekend.