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These
goods were sent by a
company that is not
authorized by the National
Customs Service to make
these types of deliveries.
/ Ministry
of Finance courtesy photo
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Customs
police retain more than
1,200 kilos of merchandise
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By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Ministry of Finance reported
that the customs police have
retained 1,242 kilos of
merchandise held in the Customs
Office of the Juan
Santamaría Airport*
because those items were
incorrectly declared at the time
they were registered for import.
According to the Ministry, some
of the products were declared by
the customs agents as furniture,
spare parts for vehicles and
household items, however, after
the police review, these were
packages sent via courier or air
cargo.
These goods were sent by a
company that is not authorized
by the National Customs Service
to make these types of
deliveries, and they did not
have the import permits for some
products that came inside the
packages, such as makeup,
clothing, and shoes among
others.
Other goods were declared as
spare parts for vehicles
however, the review by Customs
officials determined that they
were radios.
For that reason, "coordination
was necessary with both the
National Animal Health Service
and with the Ministry of Health
for the retention of the
merchandise," said the Ministry
in its statement.
According to customs officials,
these errors in import
declarations are maneuvers to
avoid taxes.
"From the National Customs
Service we will continue
fighting against tax evasion,"
said Juan Carlos Gómez, general
director of Customs. "We will
not allow these maneuvers to be
carried out to evade the payment
of the taxes."
On April 30 the Fiscal Control
Police seized a cargo of 10,493
units of liquor, mainly beer,
that were being transported by a
truck in Buenos Aires
in Puntarenas*.
The police report that the
seizure was made during a road
patrol. Apparently, a man
carrying the liquor did not have
the documents to prove the
legality of the shipment.
The merchandise was transported
to the fiscal deposit of the
Ministry of Finance, where it
will be retained until the
legality of the cargo is
demonstrated. Otherwise, the
merchandise will be destroyed.
"We will continue to reinforce
the control efforts that we have
been carrying out to combat
contraband," said Irving
Malespín, director of the fiscal
control police. "The joint work
between the different
institutions and the support of
the citizenship are fundamental
for the detection of these
cases."
On March 18th Border police
officers from the southern
border station seized 14,191
different liquor bottles near
the community of Bribrí de
Bratsi, in Talamanca*,
Limón.
According to the police report,
during a routine patrol, a
confidential call was received
about a vehicle carrying a
suspicious cargo near the
community of Olivia de Bribrí,
in Bratsi, a few meters from the Sixaola
River*, which is as a
natural border between Costa
Rica and Panama.
After patrolling the area, the
border police located a truck
and a van that were on a
property where a wooden
structure was used as a
warehouse.
"In reviewing the property and
the vehicles, the officers found
14,191 bottles of various types
of international brand liquors,
which represents the largest and
most significant contraband of
the year and of recent years
throughout the country," said
the police's report.
There were 7,501 bottles in the
truck, there were 3,492 bottles
in the van, and there were 3,198
bottles in the warehouse. The
bottles were of rum, beer,
whiskey, and wine were
classified as expensive
international brands.
According to official reports,
this cargo would have a value
close to ¢27 million colones
(about $44,919). Apparently, the
liquor was going to be sold
illegally in stores located in
the area.
Police arrested a man surnamed
Menocal who is the owner of the
property where the liquor was
hidden. In addition to arresting
the suspect, the police
coordinated the liquor
confiscation process with the
Fiscal Control Police of the
Ministry of Finance.
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Have you heard about liquor
sales or other contraband
products in your community? We would like to
know your thoughts on this
story. Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
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