Operation Pandora: National Police officers and civilians accused of illegal firearm trafficking

Santo Domingo.- Operation Pandora targets a criminal network allegedly led by members of the National Police involved in the theft and illegal trafficking of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and police supplies. The Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) claims the operation was orchestrated by senior officers and enlisted personnel, in collaboration with civilians, who used their positions to steal and sell state-owned police materials. These materials, which were meant to maintain national security, were unlawfully distributed both to police and civilians.

The criminal activities included stealing from the Police Weapons Department II, where ammunition and other equipment were kept under state custody. The group systematically and illegally sold stolen ammunition, including for rifles, and altered blank-firing weapons to make them functional. They then marketed these weapons and supplies to both police and civilian buyers, knowing the products were illegally acquired.

Among those implicated, Colonel Narciso Antonio Romero, responsible for the custody of the stolen materials, is identified as the leader of the network. Other suspects include high-ranking officers such as Sub-Intendant Juan Miguel Pérez Soler and Captain Nelson Valdez. The accused also include civilians and a company, Tactical Accessories RH, SRL, which allegedly acted as a front in laundering profits from the sale of stolen ammunition. The investigation, which began last October, is ongoing, with the Prosecutor’s Office requesting preventive detention for those arrested.