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Published Thursday, March 26, 2020 

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

At the request of the Alajuela Prosecutor's Office, on Wednesday, a criminal court judge ordered three pre-trial months in prison for three foreigners during an investigation against them on suspicion of international drug trafficking.

According to the Prosecutor's report, the three foreigners allegedly intended to take advantage of the rescue flight provided by the governments of Germany and Switzerland made available to their citizens and residents so that they could return to Europe.

The first case happened when a Swiss citizen woman surnamed Sportiello had planned to travel to her country on that rescue flight that was ready to depart from the Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela Province.

According to the case report, at the time the woman delivered her luggage at the immigration for a routine check, the officers of the Drug Control Police found seven packages hidden inside her luggage. A lab test confirmed that the cargo was eight kilos of cocaine, said the Prosecutor in their statement.

Also on Tuesday, a few hours after the first woman was arrested a German citizen couple surnamed Camill-Heim (the man) and Messer (the woman) arrived at the airport to travel in the same rescue flight to return to their countries.

When the couple delivered their luggage at the immigration checkpoint, a drug cargo was also found hidden in their suitcases. Lab tests confirmed 13 kilos of cocaine in their cargo.

The three foreigners were taken to the cells of the Public Ministry where they were interrogated by judicial agents and the judge ordered pre-trial measures against them.

Following Law No. 8204 entitled "Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances," the prison sentence ranges from eight to 20 years for anyone who acts without legal authorization, participates in any way as an author, co-author or instigator, in international drug trafficking.

This is the second case of a foreigner jailed as a suspect of drug trafficking this month.


Last week, on March 18, police from the Tobías Bolaños International Airport in Pavas, San José Province, arrested a U.S. citizen man, for the alleged crime of drug trafficking.

According to the police report, the foreigner was detained at the baggage checkpoint after it was detected that in his carry-on baggage were ten jelly or gummy candies made with marijuana.

The foreigner's name was not disclosed by the police, however, it was confirmed that he intended to take a local flight to La Managua local airport in Quepos Beach in Puntarenas Province.

The man was taken to the cells of the Public Ministry where he was interrogated by the judicial agents and after that, a judge ordered three months of pre-trial jail against him.



In February, the Drug Control Police detained two foreign men at the baggage checkpoint of the  Daniel Oduber International Airport in Guanacaste Province, with a cargo of chocolate with marijuana.

According to the police report, the first man arrested was a U.S. citizen surnamed Sayela-Wala, 31. The second man arrested was a Canadian, surnamed Cameron-Paterson, 49.

Both foreigners were arrested at the time their luggage was inspected at the airport checkpoint, where 1,087 units of chocolate bars plus nine pieces of chocolate containing marijuana were found by police.

The cargo weighed a total of 83 kilos of chocolate including marijuana, according to the police report.

Data provided by the police revealed that both men entered the country by land on Feb. 14 via Peñas Blancas border entry on the northern border with Nicaragua.

At the time of the arrests, both men intended to leave the country through the airport to Amsterdam in Holland, making a stopover in the U.S., said the police.

"The suspects were carrying seven suitcases as luggage within which police officers detected a large number of chocolates that were mixed with apparent marijuana," said the police in their statement.

In addition to the confiscation of cargo, the police seized $1,808 in cash.

The two men were taken to the cells of the Public Ministry where they were interrogated by the judicial agents and a judge ordered pre-trial jail against them.