Spain jails eleven members of Dominican Don't Play criminal group

A Spanish court has handed down prison sentences to eleven young individuals for their involvement in the criminal organization Dominican Don't Play. The Audiencia Nacional ruled that the defendants belonged to a cell of the group, imposing sentences ranging from 1.5 to 4 years.

In a separate aspect of the ruling, one of the accused was acquitted of a 2022 murder in a Madrid park due to insufficient evidence, despite the prosecution seeking the maximum penalty. However, this individual was still convicted and sentenced to 4 years for active participation in a violent criminal organization.

Additionally, four other defendants were acquitted of criminal organization charges, as their cases had already been adjudicated. One of these individuals received a three-year sentence for currency counterfeiting. The highest cumulative sentence in the case was five and a half years, combining charges of criminal organization and counterfeiting.

The court applied a mitigating factor of confession to all those convicted of belonging to the criminal organization, with one exception. The ruling describes Dominican Don't Play as a structured, hierarchical, and stable youth criminal organization operating in Spain through cells known as 'coros.' The convicted members belonged to the 'coro' of Seseña, a town on the outskirts of Madrid.