Troops assume control of notorious Dominican prison

Santo Domingo.- Military units of the Ministry of Defense temporarily assumed control of the La Victoria National Penitentiary to locate and seize knives (shanks) and firearms within the prison compound.

The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) reported this Monday in a statement that the Ministry of Defense responds to a provision of the Public Justice Ministry.

“We are doing this search to bring peace of mind to the members of thousands of homes that have a relative in La Victoria and hope that their relative can serve the sentence imposed by the legal regime in an environment where their physical integrity is guaranteed,” said Roberto Hernández, director of Prisons.

The operation is led by the prison authorities and aims to guarantee the physical integrity of the prisoners, who may be exposed to inmates of violence, as happened with a confrontation between two groups recorded earlier this year.