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Police arrested five suspected of human trafficking |
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 By the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
The Professional Migration Police, under the direction of the Deputy Prosecutor's Office against Trafficking in Persons and Illicit Trafficking in Migrants, detained five Costa Ricans, surnamed Calvo, Reyes, Zabala, Muñoz, and Vargas, as suspects in human trafficking. The arrests were made in Los Chiles* on the border with Nicaragua, where police searched a house containing the suspects and illegal immigrants. The investigation file states that in November 2018, police began an investigation that suggested that the suspect surnamed Calvo was responsible for housing, hiding and covering up the entry into Costa Rica of illegal migrants. "Calvo, Reyes, Zavala, Muñoz, and Araya, were in charge of providing pirate taxi transportation service from the border with Nicaragua, to the place where the illegal migrants were staying, which was administered by Calvo," said the police on their report. The investigation showed that the pirate taxi drivers coordinated with Calvo, picking up migrants at the border and charging between five thousand and ten thousand colones (about $20) to each person, to move them to Calvo's home. When police raided Calvo's house in Los Chiles*, they found that it was set up with different rooms for the lodging and the camouflage of illegal migrants. Police also arrested six foreigners of irregular migratory status, including minors. In addition, evidence such as control books, cell phones, and foreign identity documents, among others, were located and confiscated. The suspects and foreigners were arrested and taken to cells of the Public Ministry where they are waiting for interviews to be conducted in the case. They must also wait until a judge dictates pre-trial measures. Foreigners must remain in the custody of the Migration Police until their legal status is determined. At the beginning of February, and reported in A.M. Costa Rica, officials of the Border Police arrested three alleged human traffickers helping ten Cubans enter the country illegally in the area of Golfito*. The police report that the first case was recorded at 5 a.m. when officers observed a car whose driver fled at high speed after seeing the police car. After a chase, police managed to force the driver to park. Officers searched that car and found four Cubans, a woman and three men, who had apparently entered the country illegally. The driver was identified with the surname Torres and was arrested. The police took the trafficking suspect to the cells of the prosecutor's office where he is waiting for a judge to dictate pre-trial precautionary measures. |
 Migration Police courtesy photo The
suspect surnamed Calvo was responsible for
housing, hiding and covering up the entry into
Costa Rica of illegal migrants.
The four Cubans, whose names were not reported, were taken to the General Directorate of Immigration where they were waiting for a study of their legal status to be performed The second case also occurred in the Golfito* area, where Border Police officers carry out routine patrols. When officers were patrolling the Inter-American South Highway, said the report, they stopped two cars in which nine men, six Cubans and three Costa Ricans, were traveling. "Apparently the drivers were providing illegal transportation services, known as pirate taxis," the police report said. The officers coordinated with the transit police who removed the plates from the two vehicles. The two drivers were identified with the last names García and Jiménez and were arrested and sent to the prosecutor's office cells where they expect a judge to issue pre-trial precautionary measures. The third Costa Rican, whose identity was not disclosed, was released. The Cubans who entered the country illegally were also arrested and sent to the cells of the General Directorate of Immigration to wait for their status to be analyzed. The Border Police state that patrol operations will continue on the roads near the border, both in the North and in the South of the country. ---------- Should the government increase controls at the borders to prevent the entry of illegal immigrants? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com *Link to reach the place. |
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