Robbed

I would like to post a warning to walk the streets in Sosua after dark.It happen to me last monday at Alejo martinez abaut 150 m from I live. One Motoconcho stopped infront of me and put out a knife at my face and sad, soy mafia da me dinero,What to do Igave hime the money I had in my pocket for me not much.
But Im lucky ,Im not hurt . But soon some one going to get hurt bad if they dont start to lighting up the streets

You've got to be kidding!

Everyone knows that place is paradise. Safer than the U.S. etc. The reason they don't have lighted streets or police protection or the right to meaningful self-defense is that they're not needed.

Someday, if tourism drops sufficiently, things may change.

So glad you weren't hurt.

MAYBE thats something to do with why earlier today the police in Sosua were rounding up many of the Motoconcho drivers and loading them into trucks to take to Puerto Plata station. Of coarse it could be any number of other reasons.

Please, Sosua has always had a problem with street crime. It is grossly underreported, and investigated. I have had more robberies in Sosua than in Puerto Plata. The notion that it is safer in DR than the states is a stupid comparison. If you lived in a town in the US with a population of 15,000 or less, you could walk the streets at all hours of the night without being robbed. I know, I am from a small town in the states, and now I live on the North Coast.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but including Charamicos, Los Jaliscos, Sosua Abajo, and El Batey, aren't there alot more people in Sosua than 15,000? I thought it was more like about 40,000, but could be totally wrong.

I think a lot of the crime in Sosua is brought in the high season, when people not normally residing in Sosua come to town to make (or take) money from the tourists. My husband says that the majority of the crime, including the putas, come from other cities like Santo Domingo, Santiago, and Semana.

While I was in DR last week (in Fantino de Cotui where my husband's family lives), I was grocerie shopping with my mother in law in a big enough store and we witnessed my mother in law's purse being opened by a young dominican man. She thought I was pulling at her sleeve but when she turned around this big man was walking past her, too close to her honestly. She realized her purse was opened but fortunetaly, nothing was stolen. We had just been at the exchange booth and she had about 4,000 pesos on her.

Katia

Crime exists everywhere people! Use common sense anywhere, not just in the US or the DR. Katia my family is from Fantino, I've never been robbed, it's a decent town, but even there you have to be alert and cautios.

point is that tourists and travelers don't expect to be robbed and cheated in "paradise"!it's supposed to be a "safe country"
with lot's of warm smiles etc. etc.

Rounding up the motoconchos:it's the police milking them after they have milked the tourist and travelers.that's about all there is to say on that.

I have always hated those motoconchos. To me, they are dangerous and cause most of the accidents. Now that the economy of sosua has gone down the toilet, the motoconchos, along with other street thugs have gone desperate for quick money. I am not surprised that they are robbing people as many carry knives and even illegal guns. My advise is to always take out enough cash as much as you need to buy something. Meaning, never open up your wallet wide open to show 1000 pesos bills to a drooling street hustler when you only need to pay 20 pesos. Some dominican putas and street guys just love to see what you have inside your wallet. Later, when you have your guard down, they take advantage.
Just be careful as you were back in your home town.

Especially if the motoconcho is taking you to your house or hotel...now he knows where you live, too.

I'm not saying all are bad, I used them all the time in Sosua, but I only ever got on with drivers that I knew. And if there wasn't one around that I knew, I waited or walked. My husband himself, a Sosua native, said that the next time we go back, we're not using them anymore, because they are unsafe, and many drivers themselves are dangerous. This is coming from a man who has used them all of his life. Besides, going in a publico or guagua from Sosua to Charamicos is only about 5 pesos/person or less, and much safer.