In a landmark demonstration of transnational law enforcement coordination, Dominican security forces, backed by Haitian government agencies and INTERPOL, have apprehended two fugitives wanted over a high-profile homicide in the Dominican province of Barahona earlier this year. The arrests were executed in the Haitian border community of Anse-à-Pitre, capping off a weeks-long joint investigation spearheaded by the Criminal Investigations Department (DICRIM) under the Dominican Southern Regional Police Directorate.
The two captured suspects, identified locally as Deivi Mora and Marlon Mariano Severino, had been the subject of an active arrest warrant — No. 589-01-2024-AJ-01030 — issued in connection with the January 17, 2024 killing of 35-year-old Joel Fernando Cuevas Medina. According to official case details, Cuevas Medina succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds during a violent incident that unfolded in Villa Central, a municipality within Barahona province. Both Mora and Severino are permanent residents of Barahona and fled across the border into Haiti shortly after the shooting to avoid capture.
Immediately following their apprehension, the pair were transported via air back to Dominican territory, where they are now set to face formal judicial proceedings. In a public statement following the operation, Dominican National Police officials highlighted that the successful capture was not a matter of luck, but the product of consistent, methodical investigative work and unprecedented levels of close information sharing between the three participating law enforcement bodies.
Senior security officials from both countries have underscored that this operation is far more than a single case resolution: it serves as tangible proof of the commitment of Dominican and Haitian authorities to tackling cross-border criminal activity and closing avenues for impunity for serious crimes. Following their transfer, the two suspects were turned over to the Dominican Public Prosecutor’s Office to undergo the full legal process established under the country’s judicial framework.