Dominican Republic Deputy Accused of Participating in Drug Trafficking Arrested in Miami

(CNN Spanish) – The deputy of the Dominican Republic Miguel Gutiérrez Díaz was arrested this Monday night at the Miami international airport, accused of participating in drug trafficking.

The United States Department of Justice reported this Tuesday that on March 11 the deputy was prosecuted for allegedly integrating from 2014 to 2017 a transnational drug trafficking network that operated in the Dominican Republic, Colombia and the United States.

The charges against him are for allegedly “conspiring to distribute cocaine, with the knowledge that it would be imported into the United States; conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and conspiring to possess cocaine with the intention of distributing it ”.

If convicted, Miguel Gutiérrez Díaz would face a life sentence, according to the statement. The deputy will have his first hearing this Tuesday at 2 pm before a judge in Miami. CNN is trying to reach Miguel Gutiérrez Díaz’s defense for comment.

For its part, the National Drug Control Directorate of the Dominican Republic (DNCD) reported that the operation was in coordination with the US Drug Control Administration, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic.

In a statement, they indicated that he was immediately arrested by US authorities when he was arriving on a commercial flight from his home country.

The deputy is representative of Santiago for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM). The organization stated in a published statement in their social networks that “each citizen is responsible for his acts personally before the State.” In addition, they repudiated “criminal and unlawful” conduct.

The political party affirmed that actions such as those denounced do not represent “at all” the values ​​of the organization. He also pointed out that they will take disciplinary actions against members who violate institutional and legal norms.