The National Police, in conjunction with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, carried out Operation Vaquero in the provinces of Los Santos and Herrera, with the objective of dismantling a group allegedly linked to livestock theft. Operation Vaquero stems from investigations initiated in 2024, following numerous reports of livestock theft in the region. As a result of these investigations, authorities were able to link at least seven incidents of this crime to the individuals under investigation, leading to this coordinated operation to locate and apprehend the suspects before the judicial authorities. The operation was led by the Director General of the National Police, Jaime Fernández, and the Attorney General of the Nation, Luis Gómez, who coordinated the inter-institutional actions aimed at combating this crime that affects the country’s agricultural sector. Police actions also took place in three public institutions: the Municipality of Pesé, the Municipality of Las Tablas and the Higher Agricultural Institute, as part of the investigations seeking to gather evidence related to the alleged criminal activity. A total of 172 officers participated in the operation, executing 20 search warrants and arresting 19 people, including 2 women and 17 men, all with arrest warrants issued by the competent authorities.
