A group of foreign squatters who had unlawfully broken into a home located in Tamarindo Beach, province of Guanacaste, were removed under the watchful eye of officers from the Municipal Police of Santa Cruz. The eviction took place on Friday, February 6^th, and the squatters were reported to be from various countries, including: The United States, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and the neighboring nation of Nicaragua.

According to a report filed by Fiorella Valle of Primero en Noticias, a news website focusing on Guanacaste, the Municipality of Santa Cruz intervened because the property is located within the Maritime Zone of Tamarindo Beach, which means that the private owner is technically a tenant of the Municipality by virtue of a leasehold concession in accordance to Law Number 6043.

A total of eight foreigners were removed from the property, which is located next to the Galeria del Mar shopping center. Although the situation warranted the presence of Santa Cruz Municipal Police officers, use of force was not utilized at all. The officer who spoke with the squatters was unarmed, and the foreigners promptly complied without incident.

According to the report by Primero en Noticias, this is not the first report of foreigners who look for squatting opportunities in Tamarindo Beach, which is a coastal town with a sizable expat population from the United States. For this reason, this beach town is sometimes referred to as Tamagringo.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, Tamarindo Beach happens to be one of the most expensive communities in Costa Rica, which is fact highlighted in the report by Primero en Noticias. The high cost of living in Tamarindo Beach tends to catch some perpetual tourists and even seasoned expats by surprise. Foreign visitors traveling on a budget can easily run out of money in Tamarindo Beach, and some of them end up squatting on either public or private property until their financial situation improves.