“We want people to feel safe, that they can go out of their homes and enjoy without fear and danger”, commented President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado. The President along with the Minister of Public Security talked about the operations they have been carrying out, among them, 21 police visits during the Christmas time in the most conflict neighborhoods of the country. According to Soto, b...

Officers of the Costa Rican Border Police detained a man this Friday, January 4 in the area of Puerto Jiménez, Golfito, Puntarenas, during a routine operation carried out in the area. Authorities approached the man of last name Mohns and realized he had an irregular migratory condition. As they coordinated actions with the United States authorities, they realized that the man had two pending a...

On Thursday, January 3, a bank security guard heroically intervened and prevented a robbery in Coronado, San José, Costa Rica; he managed to shoot and kill three men on his own. The guard saw the moment one of the men attacked a woman who had just gotten out of a car and was walking towards the bank to make a deposit. Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) confirmed that the men had targeted t...

A plane crash, several tourist murders, robberies and a rafting accident, are just part of the tragic events involving tourists that stained Costa Rica’s reputation as a safe tourism destination last year and that forced authorities in the country to evaluate security and procedures to protect visitors. After all, tourism is the country’s main economic activity. Gianfranco Pescosolido, an Itali...

A security guard of a shopping center in Coronado, San José, Costa Rica shot and killed three men as they attempted to rob a couple that was going to make a bank deposit. According to the Ministry of Public Security the suspects arrived on a motorcycle to the Paseo Nuevo shopping center in Vásquez de Coronado, their target was a couple that was carrying cash to make a deposit at the BAC bank br...

According to data by the Costa Rican Red Cross, the number of violent deaths increased by 68 this year, closing with 1,428 total deaths for 2018. Violent deaths include traffic accidents, water accidents, fires etc. In total, the Red Cross handled 382,000 emergencies in 2018, averaging 1,046 a day. Water accidents took the lives of 149 people this year, 33 more than in 2017. When it comes to...

An operation carried out by Costa Rican authorities of the Ministry of Public Security during the last day of 2018 managed a  substantial 990 kilograms Seizure of cocaine. Authorities received the alert of a suspicious vessel in the South Pacific of Costa Rica, southwest of the Panama boarder. The Costa Rican Coast Guard Service with the assistance of the United States Coast Guard Service, air ...

For the first time since 2012, Costa Rica managed to close the 2018 year with a decrease on the number of homicides. Data provided by the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) this Monday, showed the total number of victims of homicide this 2018 reached 585 which is 18 less than in 2017 when the number was 603. This new number brings the homicide rate from 12.1 for every 100 thousand inhabit...

So far in 2018 authorities of the Ministry of Public Security have carried out forceful actions to battle drug trafficking in Costa Rica and managed to achieve a record number of cocaine seized along with the breaking down of drug dealing routes and organizations. "Thanks to the investigative and intelligence work of the Drug Control Police, from January 1, 2006 through December 27, 2018 a tota...

The end of the year activities in San José, concluded with unfortunate violent events. In the case of the traditional horse parade “tope”, a participant created the problem when he began beating on police officers with a whip. Apparently the man, of last names Pizarro Espinoza, was drunk and had been creating some problems during the activity, when he was left behind by the parade he was approa...

2018 Will close in Costa Rica with a record amount of cocaine seized, over 26 tons so far this year. The surveillance operations of the National Coast Guard Service resulted in the interception of a vessel 81 kilometers from Quepos, Puntarenas, carrying over 500 kilograms of cocaine. Authorities received an anonymous tip and immediately took action with the assistance of the US Coast Guard Serv...

Costa Rican authorities found an important amount of cocaine abandoned close to a boat that ran aground in the area of Playa Bejuco in Parrita, Puntarenas which only had aboard some containers with fuel. An alert was received by the Public Police Force in Parrita, informing of the abandoned boat and that apparently it was transporting drugs; officers of the National Coast Guard Service and the ...

An operation carried out in the area of Crucitas in Cutris, San Carlos, (North Zone) by different police bodies such as the Border Police and Migration Police, among others, concluded with the arrest of a group of 7 people. Four of the seven people detained were transferred to the Public Ministry under charges of illegal gold mining. At the site of the arrest, officers found several tools used ...

Authorities of the Government and the Costa Rica Red Cross presented the operative and preventive actions that will be in place in order to reinforce the security during this 2018 holiday season. The Public Police Force, Transit Police, Frontier Police, Aerial Surveillance, Coast Guard, Migration, National Emergency Commission, Firefighters, Park Rangers, 911 personnel and Red Cross complete th...

Three thieves pointed a firearm to a group of 23 tourists who were tourinr the Tortuguero River in Pococí, Limón, and stole their belongings. The foreign tourists left the sector of Pavona and were navigating the river the morning of this Saturday, December 22, when they were intercepted by three men that came out of the mountain area. The Public Police Force conducted a search, but this i...

In an operation carried out by the Drug Control Police (PCD) of the Ministry of Public Security that had the support of the National Coastguard Service (SNG), three Colombians were captured with 743 kilograms of cocaine. The vessel was intercepted in waters of the Costa Rican Pacific after confidential information was received by the Drug Control Police, the vessel was taken to Quepos, Puntaren...

Courier services are commonly used by drug dealers to receive or send drugs or money, this is a very common crime in Costa Rica, and therefore, the Drug Control Police (PCD) the Ministry of Public Security, the Costa Rica Postal Service, and the National Customs Service of the Ministry of Treasury are carrying out operations to battle and prevent this type of trafficking. ¨We are aware that C...

Public Police Force in Costa Rica received the alert of an injured person the night of this Sunday, December 16, they found a Canadian man who had been shot on his right ankle and immediately requested the assistance of the Red Cross. The tourist apparently was intercepted by two men in front of a hotel in the area of Uvita, Ballena Bay, Puntarenas, that robbed him, taking his passport, docume...

Gianfranco Pescosolido, a 50 year-old man of Italian nationality was murdered Wednesday evening in La Sabana park in San Jose, Costa Rica. The death of the Italian was the result of a failed robbery apparently carried out by three minors who have yet not been located. Authorities received the alert at close to 8:19 p.m. when calls were made by people at the park, when the Red Cross arrived t...

Three out of the five juvenile delinquents that escaped the Zurqui Juvenile Complex in San Luis, Santo Domingo, Heredia on Saturday, were captured again this Tuesday, December 11. The minors were staying in the house of a family member in El Roble, Puntarenas. Anonymous tips and reports from citizens played an important role on locating the three 16 year-old fugitives. Pablo Bertozzi, Direct...

The work of the different police bodies of the Ministry of Public Security during this 2018 has allowed the seizure of 25 tons 165 kilograms of cocaine, number that exceeds the total amount seized for the previous year which was of 22 tons 567 kilograms. This number was reached with 365 kilograms that were seized by Costa Rican Coast Guard from two Colombians on Saturday, December 8 in waters o...

Five juvenile delinquents escaped the evening of Saturday, December 8 from the Zurqui Juvenile Complex in San Luis, Santo Domingo, Heredia. Officers at the prison noticed the group was missing when they were doing the evening count. The young men have criminal records for murder, robbery, attempted murder and aggravated robbery. Penitentiary Police officers with the assistance of Public P...

The family of murdered tourist, Carla Stefaniak, has continued to share information regarding Carla's case through the Facebook page "FindingCarla", on one of the most recent posts, they informed that Costa Rican authorities had shared the results of the autopsy with the family, they described the same as "absolutely terrifying". Although exact details were not shared, it has been said that the...

The Escazú Municipality closed down on Thursday, December 6, the lodging facility Villa Le Mas located in San Antonio, Escazú, where Carla Stefaniak, the Venezuelan-American tourist who was murdered, stayed. According to the Municipality, the hotel, owned by a corporation under the name Adiantum had given up the permit to operate as a hotel back in 2013, and apparently was operating without any...

"This country depends on tourism, immigration and crime are getting out of hand", this was fragment of the statements given by Carlos Caicedo, father of Carla Stefaniak, the Venezuelan-American tourist that was found dead this past Monday, December 3. Caicedo complained that it took a long time to get the authorization from the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) to see and identify the body, ...

The joint patrol operations of the Costa Rican Coast Guard Service and the USA Coast Guard Service resulted in the arrest of four people who were transporting 1.5 tons of cocaine aboard a vessel intercepted 53 nautical miles from Punta Burica in the South Zone. The vessel of name ¨Miriam V¨ plates P-13283, was intercepted by the United States Coast Guard Services and during the inspection they ...

Walter Espinoza, Director of the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ), had a press conference Tuesday, December 4, 2018, where he stated that “everything so far leads us to believe that the body found in Escazú corresponds to Carla Stefaniak”, however, he was very careful to insist that scientific confirmation is still pending. According to Espinoza, the body that was found near Villa Le Mas, S...

Carlos Caicedo, father of Carla Stefaniak, the 36-year-old tourist that went missing in Costa Rica November 28, arrived at the Forensic Science building in San Joaquín de Flores, Heredia, the morning of this Tuesday, December 4. Samples of his blood were taken to be compared with the DNA of the woman whose body was found buried yesterday in the same area where his daughter was last seen. Caiced...

The body of a woman was found buried in San Antonio, Escazu, on the same property "Villa Le Mas" where Venezuelan/American tourist Carla Stefaniak, who went missing last week, was staying. The Costa Rica Judiciary Police (OIJ) conducted a search Monday, December 3rd, in the room where the 36 year old Venezuelan, d who resides legally in Florida, USA, was last seen along with the surrounding are...

The ballistics unit Judicial Branch’s Forensics Science Labs received the international accreditation with ISO 17020 norm and the re-accreditation of the biochemical, toxicology and analytic chemistry units with the ISO 17025 norms, making Costa Rica a regional model in this area. "The strengthening of forensic capabilities improves the quality of evidence analysis, which in turn strengthens th...

Two members of the Public Police Force suspected of bribing two Canadian tourists were arrested by the Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ) in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste. The men of last names Gutiérrez Matarrita, 48 years old, and Diaz Cabalceta, age 31, apparently stopped the car of the Canadian tourists during a routine operation in a road control post, back November 14 in the area of Santa Ana ...

The building of the Ministry of Treasury was the target of an attack with molotov cocktails (bottle bombs) the evening of this Thursday, November 29, confirmed the Ministry of Security, Michael Soto this morning, who also confirmed that the attackers left a note attached to the fence on the northern side of the building. The homemade bombs only caused one of the windows to break. ¨Its a cowa...

The family of Carla Stefaniak a native of Venezuela who resides in Miami, Floria, USA, is desperate looking for information regarding the whereabouts of the 36-year-old woman who was vacationing in Costa Rica and was last heard of the evening of November 27. Stefaniak was traveling alone in the country, she arrived November 22 and apparently visited the Manuel Antonio National Park and on the l...

Thanks to the joined patrolling carried out by the Costa Rican and United States Coast Guard Service, a vessel was intercepted in waters of the South Pacific carrying 1,005 kilograms of cocaine which was hidden under the ship ‘s prow floor. The suspects of last names Vásquez Muñoz, 41 years-old and Orozco López, 26, both are second time offenders, they had been detained in December, 2013 with 4...

A special operation carried out by personnel of the Ministry of Environment (MINAE) through the Units of Control of the Corcovado National Park, the Environmental Operation Group of the National System of Areas of Conservation (GOA) and the Frontier Police, concluded with the arrest of 12 people who were carrying out illegal activities in the Park such as extraction of gold, illegal hunting and in...

Orozco Aguilar (Costa Rican) as well as Silvia Sanchez Valverde, Priscilla Sibaja, Daniel Sibaja, and Elpelice Figueroa Rosales, all from Buford, Georgia, pleaded guilty back in September to conspiracies to commit mail fraud and money laundering for their roles in a sweepstakes scam that targeted the elderly. According to US Attorney´s Office of the Northern District of Georgia, the criminal a...

Lebanese-Canadian, Ziad Akl, was sentenced today to 12 years and 4 months of prison in Costa Rica Even through back in June Ziad Akl had chosen to go through an abbreviated process and accepted the charges on attempted murder, extortion, grievous bodily harm, deprivation of liberty, illicit association and aggravated robbery, and was facing a sentence up to 23 years in prison, the Criminal Cou...

The Costa Rican Coast Guard Service intercepted a vessel carrying 324 packets of cocaine weighing close to 1 kilogram each in front of the coast of Quepos in Puntarenas. The boat was detected the afternoon of this Monday, November 19, 80 nautical miles from Quepos, the interception was the result of the joined work of the National Coast Guard Service, the Drug Control Police and the United St...

Authorities at the Juan Santamaría Airport arrested a man that intended to travel to Canada carrying 5 kilograms of cocaine hidden in bottles of aloe vera and lotion. The man of last name Mehdi, a native of France, entered the country back in October 31 from Spain and was leaving the country this Friday, November 16 with destination to Canada. Officers found in the man's luggage five bottles...

The Ministry of Public Security conducted nine searches this Wednesday, November 14, eight of them in Alajuela and one in San José, to break down a local drug trafficking organization that is apparently linked to murders of members of other criminal groups and also debtors. According to the Drug Control Police (PCD) the group was formed by 14 people, 8 of them were arrested today, the other six...