By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Thursday, agents of the Judicial Investigation Organization with the collaboration of Immigration Police officers, arrested a 32-year-old Salvadoran man at the Juan Santa María International Airport* (SJO), in the province of Alajuela,  suspected of being a member of the international criminal gang MS-13.

According to the judicial agents' report, the man arrived in the country on a flight from El Salvador.

During the routine review at the immigration post, the officers noted that "the man was being nervous and gave an inconsistent response when he was asked about the time he will spend in Costa Rica," said judicial agents.

The immigration agents investigated the suspect's background based on his ID and they found a criminal record.

According to the agents, the suspect "had been criminally prosecuted in another country for murder and he had several tattoos on his body which indicated that he could belong to MS-13 in El Salvador."

According to the investigation, the man had a history of belonging to MS-13 of the Northern Triangle of Central America.

Northern Triangle of Central America is the name by which the three Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador are known.

"The tattoos were analyzed by a judicial investigator, who has extensive knowledge and training on the issue of gangs in the Northern Triangle, which allowed her to establish that this man belongs to the MS-13 of El Salvador," said the agents in their statement.

According to the U.S. National Gang Intelligence Center, Mara Salvatrucha, popularly known as MS-13, is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1970s and 1980s. Initially, the gang was set up to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Angeles area. Over time, the gang grew into a more traditional criminal organization. "MS-13 is defined by its cruelty and its rivalry with the 18th Street Gang," said the Center in its statement.

Due to the suspect's background and the links with MS-13 the immigration authorities rejected his request to enter Costa Rica.

The man had to stay in the Immigration detention, until he was taken with police surveillance, to the next flight to El Salvador.

Regarding the recent deportations made by the Immigration Department, as reported by A.M. Costa Rica in February, another Mara member was deported.


The police detained a Salvadoran citizen surnamed Garcia in Heredia* and found that he was of ‘illegal immigration status.’




The police reported that Garcia worked in an auto shop near the soccer plaza in San Francisco community.



The police were on a routine patrol when they saw a man tattooed with the letters ‘MS.’ MS is often tattooed on members of the gang, Mara Salvatrucha.

When police requested identification, Garcia replied that he had no identity documents.


After the detention, police worked in coordination with special agents of the Immigration , who completed the paperwork to verify the identity of the suspect with the police of El Salvador.



"It was confirmed that he was a Salvadoran citizen who was registered as an alleged member of MS13 (Mara Salvatrucha 2013), who had also been arrested in the United States in 2009 for the crime of robbery and deported in October 2015 from that country to El Salvador, after serving his sentence in prison,” said the police report.



Garcia was deported to El Salvador.



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Should immigration authorities increase controls to protect Costa Rica from criminal gang members? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com

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