Costa Rica News – A group in Costa Rica has charged $16,000 to bring migrants to the United States.
Four people were arrested for this during raids in Alajuela, Tibas, the Juan Santamaria Airport and Moravia. The investigation started back in 2016.
What first alerted authorities was that anomalies were detected in the documentation of Cubans. When authorities spoke with four Cubans in March they were told that they had paid to reach the US, passing irregularly through Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, and finally Mexico.
In Costa Rica, they were given a passport, a license and a fake credit card to prevent the irregularity from being detected. They remained in Costa Rica ten days.
The leader of the group, which was dismantled Wednesday, lived in Moravia. He is a naturalized Costa Rican of Cuban descent. His partner and daughter were also arrested for obtaining the false documents. The other arrested suspect was a police officer from the General Directorate of Immigration and Foreigners.
During the raid cell phones were found grouped in bags that indicated where they should be used. Two vehicles and a firearm were also seized.
The four apprehended face a minimum sentence of four years and up to ten years if it is detected that minors were involved.
