Immigration officers stationed at the Peñas Blancas border crossing checkpoint between Costa Rica and Nicaragua detained a male traveler from the United States on Thursday. According to a news report broadcast by national television network Teletica Channel 7, the 30-year old man was coming from Nicaragua in what seemed to be a “visa run” to extend his status as a perpetual tourist.

The U.S. man, whose last name has been reported as Englander, was stopped by immigration officers when a review of his passport yielded three suspicious stamps. Specifically, the dubious stamps on Mr. Englander’s passport corresponded to three entries at Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), located in the province of Alajuela. A further review of computer entries logged by immigration and customs officers at SJO revealed that Mr. Englander had no arrival records at the air terminal.

On Friday morning, the U.S. traveler was scheduled to appear before prosecutors in Liberia, where he would be subject to the legal process of Flagrancy Court, which means that at least two law enforcement officers can testify that he attempted to enter Costa Rica with fraudulent travel documentation. In Costa Rica, suspects processed for in flagrante delicto charges are subject to an abbreviated legal process, which usually results in reasonable monetary fines, short jail terms and few restrictions.

The Assistant Director of the Immigration Police commented that her officers have been on the lookout for fake passport stamps in recent months, particularly since the arrest of two immigration officials in Sixaola, reported by our sister publication ICRNews a couple of months ago. In that case, the officials allegedly sold a set of “visa run” stamps to foreigners for $120; such stamps would purportedly show that they had exited Costa Rica after a 90-day stay and later returned to renew their visa, thereby extending their “perpetual tourist status.”

Furthermore, the Assistant Director indicated that the Directorate of Immigration is rotating the use of special ink and hidden security features to curb down on the trafficking of fake passport stamps in Costa Rica.