By A.M. Costa Rica staff

A special operation Tuesday by the immigration police, judicial agents, the deputy prosecutor for trafficking and the National Police of Panama, dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to the human trafficking, officials reported.

The operation, called Sky and Earth, was a joint effort between Costa Rica and Panamanian agencies. The investigation began in 2016 and lasted for two years allowing the officials "to dismantle a criminal organization of 40 people who were engaged in trafficking people,” said Water Espinoza, director of the Judicial Investigating Organization. "This criminal group had links in Asia, Europe and South America", he added.

The investigation culminated in a final operation that resulted in 41 raids and the arrest of 29 people in various parts of the country.

Among those who were apprehended are 10 people working in the immigration police and one person who is an officer of the Public Force.

The organization specialized in trafficking of persons of Indian and Chinese nationalities, officials said.

“The criminal group have been trafficking  about 110 people, among these 3 minors" informed Emilia Navas, the attorney general.

Simultaneous raids allowed the authorities to dismantle the criminal group that operated in that country, they said.

"We contacted the border police in Panama so that they could carry out the investigations and the raids and detentions in that country" said Espinoza.

The Panamanian authorities executed 20 raids and apprehended 10 people accused of being in the criminal organization.

In Panama, an officer of the National Border Service was detained. In addition to belonging to the organization that trafficked people between Costa Rica and Panama, he was also linked to drug trafficking activities and was found with 20 kilograms of cocaine during his arrest, law enforcement there said.

According to the police report, the modus operandi of the criminal structure consisted of coordinating the transfer of people from China or India by air to Europe.

The people were later taken to South America, specifically Ecuador, Colombia and Peru then moved to Panama so they could enter Costa Rica, said officials. All this was carried out with the  complicity of immigration officials, they added.

“This work shows that we are fighting against corruption. We are going to clean the house. We will not allow this type of crime. The human being is not for sale," said Raquel Vargas, director of Immigration.

"While the investigation was underway, we could not fire or accuse the officials involved, some of whom had been working for the institution for 11 years, and they needed to continue working without knowing they were being investigated," added Vargas.

In Costa Rica, the procedures and requirements required by law for migrants were omitted, allowing them to enter the country illegally, according to the official allegations.

Some of these people were transferred for labor exploitation in the country, while others were trafficked to Panama where they were also victims of human trafficking or used that country as a bridge to reach the United States or Canada, they said.

"Once in the territory the people had two destinations, some stayed in the country, while others were sent to the United States or Canada where they possibly continued with unpaid forced labor," said Espinoza.

The investigation disclosed that the criminal organization had three leaders of Chinese origin living in Costa Rica, one of them owner of a restaurant located in Sabana Norte in San José, said officials.