Published on Tuesday, October 21, 2025
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Agents from the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) on Tuesday arrested a Chinese national identified by the last name Sun, 49, when he arrived at the Heredia Province Prosecutor’s Office at 8 a.m. to give his statement on charges related to child sexual exploitation and pornography.

Sun, a Costa Rica resident, had been wanted by authorities as the alleged leader of a criminal organization dedicated to the sexual exploitation of minors and the production and distribution of child pornography.

The OIJ confirmed that Sun and another Chinese national, identified by the surname Cen, who was arrested on Monday, are considered the two main suspects in directing the network, which allegedly involved at least 20 people and operated out of Sun’s mansion in Coco Beach, Guanacaste.

Investigators believe the group charged between $500 and $1,000 for each act of sexual exploitation involving victims, most of them teenage girls living in vulnerable conditions. The gang is also suspected of selling recordings of the abuse.

The investigation began in December 2024, following the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl. Authorities say that as the probe expanded, it revealed an organized operation recruiting minors through social media and parties in Heredia, later transporting them to Guanacaste.

On Monday, judicial agents carried out multiple raids across Guanacaste, San José, Heredia, Cartago, and Alajuela, arresting 20 people, including three minors.


The adult suspects were identified by the last names Cen, Pérez, Montoya, Jara, Ramírez, Brenes, Hernández, Ugarte, Valverde, Palma, Salgado, Miranda, Barrenechea, Portugués, Hernández, Madrigal, and Arrieta.


The detainees face charges including human trafficking for sexual exploitation, rape, corruption of minors, seduction, possession of child sexual abuse material, migrant smuggling, and money laundering. The adult suspects remain in custody pending a judge’s decision on pretrial measures, while the minors were referred to the Juvenile Criminal Prosecutor’s Office.


Under Law No. 9545, the Law Against Human Trafficking and Creation of the National Coalition Against Illicit Smuggling of Migrants and Human Trafficking (CONATT), human trafficking in Costa Rica carries a sentence of six to ten years in prison, which can increase to eight to sixteen years if the victims are minors or if violence or deception is involved.


The OIJ, a division of the Supreme Court of Justice, is responsible for conducting criminal investigations and holds nationwide police authority.

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