Authorities target human trafficking networks between Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico

Federal and Dominican authorities are intensifying investigations into human trafficking networks operating from the Dominican Republic toward Puerto Rico. This follows a recent shipwreck near Mona Island that resulted in three deaths and 12 missing persons.

Héctor Ramírez Carbó, interim chief federal prosecutor in San Juan, announced that the investigation will utilize the National Security Task Force to target the organizers and financiers of these illegal crossings rather than just the vessel operators. The investigation aims to dismantle the structures profiting from these journeys, which sometimes involve the transport of controlled substances.

In the Dominican Republic, recent legal actions include the imposition of periodic reporting requirements for Enerson Vilorio Eusebio and Ramón Francisco Sosa Batista, who are accused of organizing illegal voyages. Data from 2020 to 2024 highlights a significant gap between judicial proceedings and actual convictions; while the Procuraduría General de la República reported 1,333 people prosecuted for human trafficking and migrant smuggling, the National Statistics Office recorded only 107 convictions during the same period.