By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Professional Migration Police reported Friday that four U.S. citizens were prohibited from entering to the country because they have criminal records of sexual abuse against minors.

According to the police report, the first case happened on Friday when three men, all U.S. citizens, arrived in the country by boat and tried to enter through the maritime immigration control post located in the province of Puntarenas port*.

The fourth U.S. citizen, also was rejected Friday, when he arrived in the country, apparently from Nicaragua, and tried to enter the country at the Peñas Blancas* post on the northern border.

According to the immigration police, the officers of the border posts detected that these people, both the three men who came by boat and the one who came by land, have a history of sexual abuse against minors and possession of child pornography.

"Given this background, the officers proceed to reject the requests to enter the country." said the Directorate General of Migration in its report.

In all four cases, the men had reported that they were coming to the country as tourists. Them names was not reported in police statement.

According to the data provided by the Directorate General of Migration, during this year, the request for entry of 48 people have been rejected because of criminal records of sexual abuse against minors.

In 2018, 77 people were rejected for having the same background. In 2017, 79 people were rejected for the same reasons, the immigration agency said.

Related to the most recent arrest of a U.S. citizen at the airport, as A.M. Costa Rica reported on Sept 18th,  the police of the International Airport Daniel Oduber Quirós, in Liberia* in the province of Guanacaste, arrested a man surnamed Singleton as a suspect of international drug trafficking.


According to the police report, the suspect arrived in the country, on a direct flight from Miami, Fl.

In a routine review, officers detected packages of candy and plastic containers with suspicious contents.

As part of the process in the case of drug trafficking suspects, the airport officials requested the support of specialists from the Air Surveillance Service.

According to Airport Police Chief Captain Otto-Arrieta, a K-9 dog that specializes in drug tracking detected marijuana hidden in the suspect's luggage.

"In the suspect's luggage there were 29.34 grams of marijuana in wraps and 17.92 grams of marijuana in jelly candies," said Arrieta.

Singleton was taken to the cells of the Public Ministry in Liberia, where he was interrogated by the judicial agents. A judge ordered three months pre-trial jail against him.





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Should travel agencies or tour operators warn people with a criminal record of crimes against minors, that they cannot enter Costa Rica?  We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com 

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