Ring smuggled Cuban ball players busted in Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic police on Tuesday announced the bust and arrests of a ring that had smuggled Cubans to the country during several years, specially baseball players to sign them with teams in Puerto Rico, Mexico and other countries, with the U.S. Major Leagues as the final destination.

Police spokesman Jacobo Mateo Moquete the detainees are the Cubans Angel Oscar Abueye Valdez and Johan Manuel Jiménez Hernández, identified a repeat offenders in human trafficking.

He said the 12 Cubans -three women and nine men- were arrested next to a hotel in Juan Dolio as they were about to set sail to Mona Island aboard a Zodiac inflatable boat with an outboard engine.

The police officials added that two tanks of gasoline, a Volkswagen Passat, three cell phones, among other items were also confiscated.

Moquete said Yamany Garay, Yadiel Santos Rodríguez, Orosma Balba Viamontes, Alexeis Tatis García, Alexeis Caraballo Ozoria, Marcos Castillo Nordet, Manoolvis Tellez Caballero, Cano Leyani, Yamilca Mendoza and Dayli Proenza were also arrested.