The Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo and the Vice-Minister of Public Security Eduardo Solano, held a press conference this Friday, August 10, to announce some of the measures that will be carried out in the topic of tourist safety and security. Yesterday, the President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, informed that during his administration $1 million USD a year from the Costa Rican Tour...

The Costa Rican Drug Control Police (PCD) of the Ministry of Public Security broke up a drug trafficking organization that was operating in the provinces of Heredia and San Jose; in total 4 people were detained, among them a woman of last name Barrantes and 43 years of age who has a criminal record for aggravated robbery, sexual abuse, theft, illegal drug commerce, among others, this woman had be...

Two Spanish tourists and three Costa Rican tourists (including a minor) suffered an armed robbery while they were enjoying a walk in one of the trails of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park this Thursday, August 9th at around 11:30 a.m. The tourists were intercepted by men carrying knifes who took all their belongings, cell phones, binoculars, cash, backpacks, among other things. The Public...

Hundreds of people, locals and foreigners participated in the “Marcha de Blanco” (Protest in White), in Santa Teresa, Cobano, Puntarenas, an event organized to pay tribute to María Trinidad Matus, the Mexican tourist that was murdered last weekend at this touristic site in Costa Rica, the manifestation also had the purpose of raising awareness to battle insecurity and stop violence against women. ...

The “Comprehensive Prevention Strategy for Public Security, Let’s Sow Security” decree was signed today; the initiative is declared of national and pubic interest and will start applying on September 1st in the 82 counties of Costa Rica. This plan has the support of the American Embassy in Costa Rica and Colombia’s National Police, a test trial was executed las year in 15 counties (Moravia, Tib...

Albin Díaz, the Nicaraguan man that was arrested in relation to the murder of Arantxa López, a Spanish tourist, in Tortuguero, Pococí, Limón, last Saturday, was released by the Criminal Court of Pococí to the custody of the General Directorate of Migration, due to lack of sufficient evidence. Díaz who is in the country illegally, was arrested on Sunday as the main suspect of killing Lopez. Walt...

Drug dealers and smugglers in Costa Rica are diversifying their drug portfolios to include Ketamine, Ketamina in Spanish, a club drug better known for its use in veterinary medicine as a horse tranquilizer. Dealers have discovered that “Special K”, or “El Gato” as it is known in Costa Rica, is very affordable, easy to transport, can be taken easily in pill or liquid form, and perhaps most appealin...

The investigation began early the day of September 21st, 2017 when the Costa Rican Police found a body inside the trunk of a car which was abandoned near the Juan Santamaria International Airport. The victim was identified as Rosemarie Bockhold, 80-years-old and a native of Germany who lived in Piedades, Santa Ana, San Jose. According to the investigation conducted by the judiciary investiga...

Walter Espinoza, Director of the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ), offered additional information today during a press conference regarding to the killing of a Spanish tourist in Tortuguero, Limon, Costa Rica this past Saturday. A man identified as Albin Diaz, 33-years-old and of Nicaraguan nationality was arrested yesterday as a suspect of this crime. According to Espinoza, the autopsy ...

Mario Barrenechea, former General Manager of state bank Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) and one of the main defendants in the Cementazo Corruption Case, received the benefit of house arrest with the use of an ankle monitor, this Saturday, in a decision made by Treasury’s Criminal Court. Barrenechea had been granted house arrest back on May 30th of this year, however, 21 days later, he was ordered to ...

A coordinated action between police bodies of the Ministry of Public Security allowed the arrest of the suspect of murdering a Spanish tourist in the area of Barra del Tortuguero, Pococi, Limon. The operation began Saturday evening and concluded in the early hours of this Sunday after a joint action carried out by the Police Intelligence Department of the Public Police Force, the Direction of ...

A 25-year-old Mexican woman was murdered the morning of this Sunday, August 5th in Playa Carmen, Santa Teresa de Cobano, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. According to information given to Rodrigo Alfaro, regional sub-director of the Public Police Force by another woman native of England, her and her friend were sitting at the beach around 4:30 a.m. when they were intercepted by two men with the appare...

A Spanish tourist was found dead in a trail close to the landing strip in Tortuguero, Limon, Costa Rica. The information was confirmed by the judiciary investigative police (OIJ), according to their report, the woman showed signs of strangulation, however, the forensic tests will have to determine the official cause of death. Apparently, the woman was staying in a hotel close to this area...

The Ministry of Public Security confiscated today 256 kilograms of cocaine found inside the wall of a container truck that was attempting to exit the country through the Nicaraguan border. The truck had Guatemalan license plates and entered Costa Rica back in July 21st from Nicaragua, it was supposed to leave the country this Friday, August 3rd with Guatemala as its final destination; the truck...

An alert given by the U.S. Coast Guard Service to the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security thanks to the agreement on joint patrolling allowed Costa Rican police authorities to intercept a vessel 80 nautical miles from Quepos, Puntarenas carrying 2000 packages of cocaine. The police operation began out at sea on Wednesday, August 1st, and concluded this Thursday, August 2nd, when the ship wa...

The evening of this Wednesday, August 1st, the Costa Rican Public Police Force intercepted three Canadian men with a load of methamphetamine pills. Officers running routine operations in Ciudad Colon, Mora, San Jose, intercepted a vehicle they had received reports on indicating that the men had 'suspicious' behavior. According to the Minister of Security, Michael Soto, the men appeared nervous...

The past administration of President Solis acquired from the Government of the United States an aircraft to be used as an aerial intelligence platform, the same is expected to arrive to the country by March next year. The aircraft, a King Air 250, will be modified to be used by the Ministry of Public Security for surveillance against organized crime and illegal fishing. This ‘mobile radar’ only...

The Minister of Public Security, Michael Soto, held a press conference this Wednesday morning to offer details on the operations and work being done by the different police bodies in the country to battle drug trafficking by air, ground and sea. According to the information offered by Soto, between all police bodies the number of cocaine seized so far this year reached 15 tons 208.29 kilograms ...

U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo presented the Trafficking in Persons Report 2018, which gives information on which countries are making improvements in tackling human trafficking, Costa Rica is still placed in Tier 2, “Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act's (TVPA) minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselv...

23-year-old Kenier David Murillo Aleman was sentenced to 16 years of prison after confessing in an abbreviated trial to having killed a 50-year-old French woman at the Pachamama Jungle River Lodge in Punta Uva, Cahuita, Limon. The events occurred in October 27, 2016 when apparently three men participated in the robbery of the hotel, which was property Estelle Marie-Claire Jeanne; when the woman...

For the third time this week Costa Rican authorities gave an important blow to drug trafficking operations in the country by seizing over half a ton of cocaine in waters of the South Pacific. The Drug Control Police (PCD) and the National Coast Guard Service were alerted of the presence of a motorboat in the area of Punta Burica, the same location where on July 27th a semi-submersible vessel wa...

Agents of the Regional Police Station of Corredores in Puntarenas along with the National Coast Guard Service and Frontier Police, managed to arrest two men this Friday from Ecuador as suspects of International Drug Trafficking. According to preliminary information, the agents were informed on Thursday of the presence of a vessel supposedly carrying drugs, in the area of Punta Burica and two me...

The Ministry of Public Security confirmed that a total of 580 kilograms of cocaine were found aboard a go-fast boat in Puntarenas, across from Cabo Blanco. “Intelligence work carried out by the police bodies of the Ministry of Public Security in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the USA, a large shipment of cocaine was intercepted” The drugs were found aboard a sh...

In a joint operation carried out by agents of the Costa Rican Investigative Police (OIJ) in Limon and officers of the National Coast Guard Service, a criminal organization formed by eleven Costa Ricans, three Colombians and a Panamanian was dismantled. The men were arrested on Monday afternoon and face charges for money laundering and illegal possession and carrying of unregistered firearms. ...

The General Directorate of Armaments in Costa Rica has destroyed 191 firearms this month, firearms which had been used in various crimes including homicide, robbery, drug trafficking, and illegal arms possession and sale. The Guns destroyed included 133 short weapons and 58 long weapons which have been in custody since 2012 and were previously used as evidence in criminal proceedings. They had bee...

Police operations carried out in the area of Garabito, Puntarenas have allowed the seizure of important quantities of drugs; the Public Police Force with the support of the Operational Support Group (GAO) have been working in particular in the beach town of Jaco and the surrounding areas, where the large number of tourists attract drug dealers. During a road side control stop this Monday police...

On July 11, 2018, the Policia de Control de Drogas (Drug Patrol Police PCD) arrested a mother, her boyfriend, and her son, for drug violation charges in Pavas de San Jose, on the San Juan de Rincon Grande Farm. The family called themselves, “Los Craqueros”. This is the 22nd narco-family busted by the PCD this year, including busts in Guacimo, Coto Brus and La Cruz de Guanacaste. They have also ...

A Costa Rican man of name Vicente Rappaccioli Navas who also held Nicaraguan nationality was confirmed dead by his family. The 60-year-old man had been reported missing since June 26 and was last seen as he was leaving his house in Diriamba, Carazo 60 km south of Managua, on his way to the city of San Marcos and aboard his Mitsubishi Montero truck. Family members posted his photo and informa...

Officials of the Drug Control Police (PCD) of the Ministry of Public Security detained a foreigner in the Juan Santamaria Airport as he attempted to leave the country carrying drugs intracorporeally. The man, of Italian nationality, appeared nervous, behaviour which alerted the officers who intercepted the man and discovered he was carrying drugs in his body. The 43-year-old foreigner identi...

The public police force in Jaco has maintained  an ample presence at this popular vacation spot since the beginning of the mid-year vacation period Constant patrols, road controls, interventions and others have been done throughout the entire district of Garabito, Puntarenas focusing specifically on areas of high visitation. As a result of these operations the police have arrested 316 people...

The number of deaths as a result of the crisis in Nicaragua continues to grow, while the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights estimates the death toll of some 285, other unofficial sources put the number way over 300. This Wednesday thousands of Nicaraguans formed a human chain in a main road that connects Managua to Masaya, to demand that President Daniel Ortega leaves the Government and ...

A 70-year-old U.S. man, identified as William M. Nearhoff, was found dead in the apartment he lived in in the neighborhood Barrio Latino, Grecia, Alajuela the afternoon of this Monday, July 2nd. According to the information offered to us by the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) , the man had hands and feet tied and a bruised wound on his head, Nearhoff was a retiree who moved from Texas and ...

The morning Monday, July 2, officers of Management Investigation of the Professional Migratory Police arrested a Costa Rican woman during a search in the area of Getsemani, Heredia, as the main suspect of human smuggling ring through the forging of documents. The woman's last name Benavides De la O, forged different documents such as bank statements, municipal permits, social security orders, w...

Officers of the Border Police in Costa Rica captured the man who had escaped from La Reforma Prison in San Rafael de Alajuela last Friday. The man, Juan Jose Palacios Rivera, a native of Nicaragua, was aboard a bus with destination to Panama. The bus was stopped by the authorities before crossing the border after receiving information that the man was on it, in the revision the police officers ...

The alert was given after 2 p.m., when penitentiary police at La Reforma prison in San Rafael, Alajuela first realized inmate Juan Jose Palacios Rivera was missing. The man (photo included) is a native of Nicaragua, and he was incarcerated October 2017 convicted of aggravated robbery and simple theft. Palacios was in a “trust” regime and worked in the prison’s kitchen, apparently, with the h...

The Ministry of Public Security in Costa Rica, headed by Michael Soto, has been carrying out mega-operations involving the different police forces in the country with the purpose of increasing security, preventing crimes and seizing drugs and firearms, in total 12 coordinated operations have taken place, in different areas of the country, since the new government took charge, but the total number...

Lebanese, Ziad Akl, has been in preventive imprisonment in Costa Rica for over one year and  was sentenced today to over 23 years of prison for six separate crimes. Ziad, is the brother of Elias Akl the man who was assassinated back in May 2017 outside a private school in Guachipelin, Escazu alleged to be drug related.  A report in Diario Extra states that Elias was the head of the Lebanese Maf...

Image for Illustration Purposes Only Information released by Channel 7 regarding the drug trafficking cell associated with a Mexican cartel operating in Costa Rica   which was dismantled by the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) on May 26, used helicopters to move the drugs between Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. Channel 7 (Telenoticias) reports, numerous videos and photos were found on c...

The Fiscal Control Police of the Ministry of Treasury conducted a search this Saturday in a storage in San Ramon, Alajuela where they found a large quantity of smuggled products. According to Irving Malespin, director of the Fiscal Control Police, explained that the operation was executed successfully thanks to the actions in conjunction with the Customs office of Peñas Blancas, location throug...

Costa Rican police detained this Tuesday a Colombian man as suspect of providing the drugs to a national drug trafficking organization who was moving the product to different parts of Central America via cargo trucks. The Public Ministry and the Organism of Judiciary Investigation (OIJ) conducted 11 searches in Escazu (San Jose), Belen, Sarapiquí, Santo Domingo (Heredia, and Sarchi, Naranjo, At...