The first Special Prosecutor’s Office is inaugurated in Sosúa to combat major crimes.

Santo Domingo — In July 2025, the Public Prosecutor’s Office inaugurated the first Special Prosecutor’s Office in Sosúa, an initiative aimed at transforming the municipality and eradicating crime. The Attorney General of the Republic, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, presided over the ceremony and called on the community to build a better future for Sosúa.

This prosecutor’s office, established as part of the second phase of Operation Atlantic, will have special jurisdiction during its first six months. It will focus on investigating and prosecuting cases related to pimping, human trafficking, microtrafficking, and sexual exploitation.

Necessary authorities were present at the main table of the opening ceremony, including the Minister of the Interior and Police, Faride Raful; the president of the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), Vice Admiral José Cabrera Ulloa; the director general of the National Police, Major General Ramón Antonio Guzmán Peralta; the first substitute of the Court of Appeal of Puerto Plata, Miguelina Beard; and the chief prosecutor of Puerto Plata, Kelmi Duncan. The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Patricia Mejía, also attended.

Healthy and safe tourism

Reynoso highlighted Sosúa’s tourism potential, stating that “Sosúa has everything it needs to be a tourist hub of excellence.” She reaffirmed the commitment of the agencies participating in Operation Atlantic to help the municipality develop tourism free from crime, “without exploiting women and children.”

“Sosúa just needs a relaunch, which I am sure the Ministry of Tourism will support, and we will do whatever is necessary,” added the attorney general.

Prosecutor Hilda Patricia Lagombra Polanco, who previously served as national coordinator of the Prison Management Model, has been appointed coordinator of this new prosecutor’s office.

The facilities will offer services to the public at Linda Marina Square, located at 58 Pedro Clisante Street.

Reynoso expressed her confidence in the team: “I don’t have to tell the prosecutors that I will be asking for results day after day because I know that they know, and that Patricia Lagombra, who has worked with me in another area, knows how closely I follow up.”

Inter-institutional collaboration and a message to criminals

The attorney general thanked the state security and investigation agencies for their work, which has maintained and will continue to maintain joint patrols with the National Police and the Armed Forces. She also recognized the work of the National Prosecution Directorate of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Deputy Prosecutor Wilson Camacho, as well as Yoanna Bejarán Álvarez, Olga Diná Llaverías, and Danissa Cruz, who are responsible for the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office against Human Trafficking and Illegal Smuggling of Migrants (PETT), the National Directorate for Children, Adolescents, and Families (Dinnaf), and the Human Rights Unit of the Attorney General’s Office.

Reynoso explained that Operation Atlantic was strategically planned: “We had been investigating what was happening in Sosúa for more than four months; perhaps they didn’t see us, because it was undercover, but we said to the criminals: ‘We know, and we know everything, and Sosúa will never be the Sosúa it was before Operation Atlantic.

“Operation Atlantic is a model of community support for society. Operation Atlantic is a gateway to transforming a historic municipality like Sosúa,” he said.

He announced that joint patrols will continue to support residents’ peace of mind and the safety of tourists, businesses, and merchants. In a firm tone, Reynoso concluded: “Because criminals will not have peace, they cannot have peace, since their peace is usually the insecurity of society.”