By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Police officers from the station in
Grecia in
Alajuela* responded to an
emergency call about an assault at
the home of two U.S. citizens
surnamed Atchison. What they found
was a laboratory growing hydroponic
marijuana.
The police report that on Sunday at
9:52 p.m., the officers received an
emergency call from Mrs. Atchison,
about an assault at her house
located in the community of Cajón in
the province of Alajuela.
"When the police arrived, the woman
said that two men with ski masks
forced the main door and got in her
house. The men identified them as
police officers, they tied her up
and put her into a room, then stolen
cash and jewelry," said the police
in the first part of their report.
The officers then decided to tour
the house and make a record of the
stolen objects. At that point, they
found several pots containing
marijuana seeds inside a room.
Continuing the search they found a
kind of cellar where with a
controlled environment where
marijuana was growing well and
approximately 30 cocoons of "cripy"
type marijuana inside some glass
jugs.
The police report says that "this
drug is genetically altered, it has
more intense effects harmful to
health, 10 times more powerful than
the common one, so its consequences
are harmful to consumers such as
alterations in neuro development,
loss of motivation, memory and of
cognitive abilities.”
The police requested support from
the agents of the Judicial
Investigation Organization who
raided the house.
At the request of the Prosecutor's
office of Grecia, the agents
arrested the Atchison's who are now
under investigation for the alleged
crime of growing marijuana.
Agents seized marijuana plants,
cocoons, and seeds as part of the
evidence in the case against the
Atchisons.
Judicial agents report that the
Atchison's were taken to the cells
of the Public Ministry, where they
were interrogated by the agents and
have to wait for the judge to decide
the pre-trial measures.
Regarding the detention of U.S.
citizens who are suspected of
cultivating hydroponic marijuana in
a laboratory, and as A.M. Costa Rica
reported on February 5, a judge
sentenced two U.S. citizens
suspected of drug trafficking to six
months of pre-trial prison.
The Prosecutor's office of La Unión in Tres
Ríos* confirmed that a public
ministry judge delivered a sentence
of six months pre-trial prison for
two U.S. citizens surnamed
Owen-Strauss, male, 69 years old,
and Redondo-Ramos, female, 59 years
old, with dual Cuba/U.S.
citizenship. They are suspected of
being part of a gang dedicated to
cultivating and marketing marijuana.
The investigation reported that four
more people were arrested as part of
the gang and were also sentenced to
six-month pre-trial prison. Their
surnames are Cortés-Amador,
Bermúdez-Molina, Bastos-Herrera, and
Pizarro-Cartín.
During that investigation, police
seized 639 grams of marijuana,
marijuana cocoons, seeds, and 318
marijuana plants during the raids.
They also confiscated a motorcycle,
a car, a 9-millimeter pistol, two
assault rifles, and ammunition.
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Security
Ministry courtesy
photo
Agents seized
marijuana plants,
cocoons, and seeds as
part of the evidence
in the case against
the Atchisons.
Agents
report that the
investigation of that
gang began in April
2018 when the police
received confidential
information about the
suspects who were
renting houses where
they grew hydroponic
marijuana in
controlled
environments.
Based on that
complaint, the agents
conducted an
investigation that
resulted in raids that
were made
simultaneously in a
warehouse in La Unión
in Tres Rios and five
houses located in the
provinces of Cartago*,
Heredia*
and San
José*.
Prosecutor's agents
said, "it is believed
that they extracted
the oil and wax from
the plants, as those
products have a higher
concentration of
tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC, the main
psychoactive component
of cannabis) compared
to chopped marijuana,
then, apparently, they
sold the derivatives
in ampoules or
cartridges, with
prices ranging between
₵60,000 ($98.52) and
₵100,000 ($164)."
One of the Costa Rican
detainees,
Cortés-Amador, is the
son of Guiselle
Amador, who was the
Minister of Health
last year.
Information provided
by the Presidential
House confirmed that
President Alvarado was
informed last year
that investigation was
starting and that it
involved Minister
Amador's son.
The investigation was
apparently the trigger
for the President to
ask the Minister to
resign in November
2018. On her
resignation, the
minister had said that
she was leaving the
job due to health
reasons.
It is important to
clarify that the
Presidential House
confirms that the
sensitive information
given to the president
on this case, was
never shared to the
former Minister Amador
because the case was
in its initial stage
and all information in
that phase is
confidential.
The president named
Mr. Daniel Salas as
Minister of Health to
replace Ms. Amador.
---------------
Why do
you think foreigners
prefer to grow
marijuana in Costa
Rica and not in their
own countries?
If so, what is a
possible solution? We
would like to know your
thoughts on this story.
Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com
*Link to
reach the map.
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