The suspect was arrested Monday at the Juan Santamaría International Airport when he was leaving the country on a flight to Bolivia with a stopover in Panama. / Security Ministry courtesy photo.
|
A man suspected of laundering more than $200,000 will go three months to pre-trial prison
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Prosecutor's Office of Alajuela announced that a criminal court judge ordered three months of pre-trial detention for a man surnamed Molina-Restrepo, who is suspected of money laundering $226,605.
According to a Public Ministry report, the investigation of the case began in June after the suspect contacted other men, not yet identified, but who may be linked to drug trafficking.
The report said these other people gave $226,605 to Molina-Restrepo to take to Bolivia.
"Molina-Restrepo distributed the money in his suitcase, in a double lining that he made with a thick plastic sheet, adhered with glue and screws," the prosecutor's office said in its report.
The suspect was arrested Monday at the Juan Santamaría International Airport* when he was leaving the country on a flight to Bolivia with a stopover in Panama.
After a routine review operation, the packages with the money were detected and the suspect was detained.
Another recent case of suspected money laundering was reported in May when the officers of the town of Orotina* arrested two Costa Rican men surnamed Dupree and Jiménez, who police said were suspected of hiding more than $ 27,000 and a shipment of marijuana buds in a secret compartment in one of the men's car.
In a routine patrol in the town of Coyolar, at 10 p.m., the officers stopped the driver of a Mitsubishi Montero car, said the police in the report. When they reviewed the car, they found marijuana packed, five doses of marijuana oil, 18 creepy buds and $ 27,000 in cash plus $1,174 in colones, they said.
The officers detained the suspects on charges of transporting illegal drugs and possible money laundering. Creepy marijuana is a powerful strain of the drug that usually comes from Colombia.
The two men were jailed and then interviewed by the agents of the Judicial Investigation Organization. The vehicle, money and drugs were confiscated as part of the evidence against the two suspects.
The Prosecutor's Office reported that a judge imposed three months of pre-trial detention against the two men as suspects of money laundering and drug trafficking.
One of the most important cases related to a large amount of money was also reported in May when the Prosecutor's Office of Legitimization of Capitals confirmed that a judge ordered three months of pre-trial preventive detention against a woman surnamed Hu and a man surnamed Li. Both were detained in San José’s Chinatown* as suspects in a $3 million money laundering case.
A third suspect surnamed Feng was ordered to comply with the precautionary measures of signing in every 15 days, remaining in the country, delivering his passport to judicial agents and maintaining the same home address throughout the duration of the process.
Two other persons who had been detained during the raid were released. Agents said they determined that they had no connection with the case.
The judicial report said that agents of the Judicial Investigation Organization spent more than 13 hours on compiling the evidentiary records and recorded the documents for the case.
The case started when the agents, in an operation with officials of the Public Prosecutor's Office carried out a raid on a house in San Jose’s Chinatown and arrested five Chinese citizens and seized approximately $3 million.
"This operation is the second part of an investigation that began in August 2018," said Walter Espinoza, general director of the Judicial Investigation Organization. "Then we made a raid on an apartment located in a building in Paseo Colon*, where a Chinese citizen was arrested and it was seized approximately $500,000 in cash."
That suspect surnamed Wen was ordered to be detained for trial as money laundering suspect.
After eight months they carried out the second part of the operation in this case which involves money laundering and alleged drug trafficking. "We have been investigating the way in which the money came to the country and was stored and deposited into the country's banks," said Espinoza.
Wen, 24, also is a naturalized Ecuadoran. A judge ordered three men detained in that case.
The investigation began several weeks before his arrest when the man was detected at the Juan Santamaría Airport entering the country with a large sum of money, officials said. This was not the first time he had entered the country and declared a large sum on money. As part of the investigation, a raid was made in his apartment, where a luxury car was also seized.
According to the documentation found by police, the suspect luxury car was purchased with $65,000 in cash. An additional $468,760 was found hidden in his apartment and is now evidence in the investigation. Also were seized two computers, two cell phones, a banknote counting machine, storage devices, stacks of 1,000-colon notes and stacks of dollar banknotes.
--------------------------------
Should judges order the longest period of pre-trial detention for money laundering suspects? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com
|
|
