By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
In an operation with park rangers of the
National System of Conservation Areas, the
border police detained two people suspected
of illegal hunting in the Santa Rosa National Park*,
and an additional two other people suspected
of looting turtle nests in Siquirres*.
Police report that the illegal hunting
suspects were armed with two shotguns, a
rifle, and several long knives.
The identity of the suspects is being
verified by the police because they were not
carrying identification at the time of the
arrest.
On the second case, the Coastguard of the
Siquirres station detained two people
suspected of looting of turtle nests. They
were carrying bags containing nearly 400
turtle eggs. The police reported that the
suspects were in a boat with a 30 HP motor,
and were detected by the park rangers who
were doing a routine patrol. The suspects
were not carrying identification at the time
of arrest and there were no documents on the
boat.
"They had fishing tools and a shipment of
397 turtle eggs, which were recovered to be
returned to their habitat," said police
report.
The four suspects were sent to the cells of
the Public Ministry where they were
interviewed by the agents of the Judicial
Investigation Police. They will be held for
a judge to determine the pre-trial measures
against them.
According to the park rangers, turtle eggs
are trafficked mainly because restaurants of
the Caribbean zone offer them as a
traditional dish to customers.
On February, as A.M. Costa Rica reported,
the Operational Environmental Group, made up
of park rangers specialized in the capture
of illegal hunters, arrested a man surnamed
Rojas-Bermúdez, suspected of illegal hunting
in the Lomas Barbudal Biological
Reserve* in Bagaces, Guanacaste.
The police report said, "in addition to the
capture of the suspect, two 12-gauge
shotguns, ammunition and 2 sacks of meat
from 2 adult deer already cut into pieces
were seized."
The suspect was taken to the Flagrant
Prosecutor's Office of the court in Liberia
in Guanacaste*. Where he was interviewed and
the judge issued pre-trial precautionary
measures against him.
The flagrant delicto or sometimes simply in
flagrante is a legal term used to indicate
that a criminal has been caught in the act
of committing an offense. The colloquial
"caught red-handed" or "caught rapid" are
English equivalents.
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