Rocio Diaz, Global Voices Online
Some of the recent newspaper headlines around the Dominican Republic read, “Cables Stolen from Duarte Bridge,” “Peña Gómez Monument Dismantled,” and “La Salle School Without Power.”
All of these headlines are related to the same topic that left many people perplexed: the theft of cables and metal around the capital city of Santo Domingo and other cities around the country. Apparently, the items are then sold in a very lucrative business.
The thefts began very subtly at first, with the disappearance of some sewer covers and plaques that adorned busts and sculptures in various locations across the city.
At the beginning, many did not pay much attention to it because it seemed to be commonplace. However, over time the number of holes that appeared, and the number of busts vandalized began to increase across the city, and it soon became apparent that something was happening.
Later, reports of the theft of cables began to arrive, including electrical cables, as well as fiber optic leading to the conclusion that there was a preference for the copper, which is then exported to China where there is a high demand.
Thanks to these thieves, numerous streets, avenues, bridges and highways in Santo Domingo and around the country were left in the dark. Also the telecommunications sector in the Dominican Republic has been the victim of the growing “industry” of the theft of cables and equipment, which directly affects the consumer. These companies calculate that their losses total approximately 1.5 million dollars this year alone.
Despite some control measures implemented by the government to differentiate the real scraps from the fake scraps, Diario 27-F states that it is impossible to separate the metal. There have been some arrests and two people are being tried in court. However, the robberies continue, such as in the case of the La Salle School in Santiago earlier this week, where classes were suspended until further notice.
