Dozens of people arrested in Sosúa after police operation

Sosúa, Puerto Plata— Dozens of people were arrested Friday night in a massive joint operation that raided nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and guesthouses in the tourist town.

Units from the National Police, the Prosecutor’s Office, the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) of the General Directorate of Migration, including an Immigration bus, arrested dozens of sex workers, foreigners, and even employees of the searched establishments.

Amid reports of alleged abuse, use of pepper spray, and the arrest of employees not linked to sex work, the operation took place. At the same time, some of the detainees were transferred to the Sosúa multipurpose center, where an initial screening was being carried out.

The illegal aliens will be transferred to Santo Domingo, while the rest will be cleared at the National Police’s Northern Regional Directorate. Authorities have not yet released official information on the event.

Various sectors of Sosúa have been demanding a solution to the problem of prostitution, as well as crime, to recover the status of a family tourism destination that characterized Sosúa in its early days.

A group of citizens is calling for a march on July 26th to demand that the ills affecting that community be corrected.