By
the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
The Prosecutor's Office of
Environmental Affairs confirmed
that the Criminal Flagrancy
Court of Alajuela found two
German citizens surnamed
Goldnik, age 22, and Ollesch,
age 54, guilty of animal
trafficking.
The court report reported that
"through a flagrant delicto
trial, an expeditious sentence
of five years in prison against
the two foreigners who were
found guilty of committing a
crime of violation of the
Wildlife Law."
A flagrant crime is a legal
term, indicating that a criminal
has been caught in the act of
committing an offense. The
colloquial "caught red-handed"
is the English equivalent.
However, the two men will not go
to jail, because the judge
granted them a special benefit.
"This means that they will not
go to prison, but if the two men
commit a crime in our country,
during the term of the sentence,
five years, the benefit will be
revoked and they will serve the
prison sentence," said the
court.
In addition, the sentence was
reported to Interpol and to
Europol to activate an
international alert each time
the sentenced men enter a
country.
This case began last month, as
A.M. Costa Rica reported on
February 12, when officials of
the Juan
Santamaría Airport in
Alajuela*, with the
collaboration of German
officials, detained the two
German citizens.
The police received a call from
officials of the National Animal
Health Service who suspected
that those German tourists
intended to leave the country
with several wild animal
species. The National Animal
Health Service had received that
alert from Germany agents.
Agents at the airport set up an
additional luggage screening for
people leaving the country.
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A.M.
Costa Rica wire
services photos
In
the luggage of
Ollesch, police
found 354
containers with
different species
of ants, spiders,
and a scorpion.
"The
airport police
inspected the
luggage of the
suspects,
recovering the
species that
were inside
the checked
baggage, there
were several
containers
with spiders
and live ants
among others,"
said the
police on its
report.
In the luggage
of Ollesch,
police found
354 containers
with different
species of
ants, spiders,
and a
scorpion.
Goldnik's
luggage held
35 bottles
containing
ants.
The animals
were
confiscated by
the officers
of the
National
Animal Health
Service.
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Do
you agree with the
sentencing benefit
decided on by the
judge? 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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