Nicaraguan Police raid facilities of La Prensa newspaper | CNN

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(CNN Spanish) -

Patrols of the Nicaraguan National Police entered the newspaper La Prensa on Friday and are holding media workers, including the general manager, Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro, according to Eduardo Enríquez, editor-in-chief of the Newspaper.

In a statement, the Nicaraguan National Police reported that the raid is part of an ongoing investigation against Editorial La Prensa Sociedad Anónima and its directors for the alleged "crimes of customs fraud, money, property and assets laundering."

The Police did not detail what these alleged crimes would be.

Journalists from digital media shared the image of Holmann Chamorro surrounded by police officers and cameramen from the official media who were recording the operation.

The police operation occurs a few hours after the newspaper announced the reduction in the number of pages of its printed edition due to lack of supplies, and warned that it could close it if its supply problems continue, according to the company's management in a published editorial. in the newspaper this Thursday.

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"It has not been possible to print the complete paper edition of August 12, 2021. We have had to reduce it to 8 pages, because the General Directorate of Customs (DGA) arbitrarily does not authorize the delivery of the paper, which is stored in the warehouse prosecutor, "the editorial reads.

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CNN tried to obtain a reaction to this complaint from the General Directorate of Customs, but they have not responded.

A reaction was also requested from the Communication and Citizenship Council, coordinated by Vice President Rosario Murillo, but there has been no response.

The publishing group, controlled by the Chamorro family, said that for the same reasons, Hoy, a popular newspaper dating from 2003, could not be printed.