DOMINICAN REPUBLIC'S LARGEST DRUG CASE HAS ITS 1ST CONVICTION IN N.Y.

NEW YORK.- The U.S. South District Federal Court in New York, where
the drug-trafficking and money laundering case against the
ex-Dominican Army captain [Name redacted] is being heard, condemned
its first defendant, the businessman Jose Perez Ferreras.

He had pleaded guilty only to the money laundering charges in a
previous bargaining with the State Prosecutor, which guaranteed an
18 month jail sentence, and a 10,000 dollar fine and 3 years
probation, He began his prison term at the federal facility at
150 Park Row in Lower Manhattan.

Perez was the last suspect extradited from the Dominican Republic in
connection with the [Name redacted] case, but the first to accept
responsibility in the laundering of millions of Dominican pesos and
hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The lawyer Stanislao German, whom represents the Moca natives [Name
redacted], and [Name redacted] , who are free on bail, confirmed the
information on Perez's sentence, but said that in court the U.S.
Government did not reveal the total amount of the money laundered.

In the case 17 lawyers conduct the defense of those indicted.

In reference to the opening of the criminal trial, German said that
it could possibly take one more year, due to the enormous amount of
documents, the motions presented by the defense lawyers and the
Government's legal strategies.

He said that each lawyer must study the situation specific to their
respective clients in order to work each case adequately.