Businessman fined RD$25 million for polluting Licey river

Espaillat, DR.- The Specialized Attorney’s Office for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources (Proedemaren) in Espaillat Province secured a suspended one-year prison sentence and a compensation payment of RD$25 million for the Dominican State. The penalties were imposed on Andrés Avelino Sarante Castillo and his company, Endy Agroindustrial, SRL, for environmental law violations.

The ruling, delivered by Judge Esther Pontier of the Single Court of the Criminal Chamber of Espaillat, followed the findings presented by Milagros García, the court attorney and coordinator of Proedemaren. The company was found guilty of breaching multiple articles of Law 64-00 on the Environment and Natural Resources, specifically for polluting local water sources.

Endy Agroindustrial, a producer of poultry and eggs, contaminated the Licey River in Ceiba de Madera, Moca, with solid and liquid waste. This pollution affected nearby communities and compromised the region’s agricultural irrigation systems, causing significant harm to both local residents and farmers.