Police arrest a judicial agent and his wife on suspicion of money laundering
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Agents of the Judicial Investigation Organization in the province of Limón*, arrested on Wednesday, an agent of the same organization, surnamed Luna-Carrillo and his wife surnamed Rodríguez-Arias as suspects of money laundering.
According to the agents' report, both suspects were arrested after a special operation on five raids, two at the two houses of the suspects, two at the suspect's parents' homes, and one at the workplace of the judicial agent.
According to the court report, in March the man stole cash that was hidden inside a car. That car had been seized, on March 7th, during a special operation and was maintained as part of the evidence of another case. The car was in custody in a warehouse located in the province of Limon, which belongs to the Judicial Investigation Organization.
According to the Prosecutor's report, the case began after investigators received confidential information that linked agent Luna-Carrillo with the theft of the money that was being guarded.
In the investigation report, the agents detected the suspect made payments with large sums of money. Among those payments, the purchase of a new car was registered. He had also paid a debt on his other car and paid for private medical services.
"It is believed the suspect had expenses of more than $20,000, despite the fact that his level of regular income was not consistent with that pattern. His wife is allegedly complicit in the crime," the agents said in its report.
During the raids, agents seized approximately $5,204 in cash, household appliances and other evidence related to the case.
According to Walter Espinoza, director of the Judicial Investigation Organization, it is estimated that agent Luna-Carrillo paid expenses in the sum of approximately $17,800, in cash.
The suspects were taken to the Public Ministry of San Jose, in a plane of the Ministry of Security. Both were interviewed by the agents of the Prosecutor's office against Drug Trafficking and Related Crimes and will remain in the holding cells of the Public Ministry until a judge orders pre-trial measures against them.
This is the second case of an officer detained as a suspect of committing a crime.
As A.M. Costa Rica previously reported on Sept. 9th, judicial agents arrested three police officers, one surnamed Monestel-Alvarado, two surnamed Ulate-Pineda, and a fourth suspect, who is not a police officer, surnamed Rocha-Soto.
The four men are suspected of the murder of a man surnamed Marin.
According to the police report, the investigation began on August 28, when the body of the victim was found in the community of Santa Rosa de Pocosol* in the province of Alajuela.
On the day of the murder, several men in a black car abducted the victim. Two days after that, the victim was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head, said the police report.
According to a report from judicial agents, the motivation for the murder was robbery. The victim was the owner of a store and also exchanged money for foreign currencies," said the Prosecutor in its report.
"Apparently, on the day of the murder, the four suspects contacted the victim, asking him to exchange money. Once they approached him, they put him in the car where they killed him by shooting him," said the Prosecutor's report.
According to the Prosecutor's report, after stealing Marin's money, they threw his body into an empty lot.
"After testing with Luminol using a specialized dog from the Canine Unit, traces of blood were found inside the car," said the Prosecutor's report.
Forensic investigators use Luminol to detect trace amounts of blood at crime scenes. Biologists use it in cellular assays to detect copper, iron, cyanides, as well as specific proteins.
The four suspects were taken to the jail of the Public Ministry in San Carlos, where a judge ordered three months on pre-trial measures against them.
---------------------------------
What actions should the Ministry of Security take to dissuade police officer's from committing crimes? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com
| 
|
