Environmental group says
private docks to be restricted


An environmental organization said it has been told that the central government will require foreign fishing boats to unload their catches at public docks instead of private ones.

This is a key element in the fight against illegal fishing as well as other crimes. But for years and contrary to Costa Rican law, fishing boats have been using private docks in Puntarenas.

The organization is Programa de Restauración de la Tortugas Marinas or PRETOMA. The organization is mainly interested in the shark finning operations. With private docks, fishing boats did not have to abide by the law that says sharks must be landed with their fins intact. There is an economic motivation to cut off the fin at sea and toss the disabled shark back in the sea to die.

Randall Arauz, president of the non-profit group, said that he was not totally impressed. He has heard the same promise, first in 2004 and then in 2007. But the private docks remained open.

This time it was the minister of Agricultura y Ganadería, Gloria Abrahan Peralta, who said the private docks would be closed to foreign-flagged vessels as of Dec. 1. She said she had been in contact with commercial fishing operators.

The Sala IV constitutional court and the Contraloría de la Repúbica have been calling for this action for years.

"Not only shark finning is facilitated by leaving the public interest unprotected, so is drug trafficking and slave running, as has been duly exposed by the national press," said the organization.

"This measure would mean the government would finally be abiding by Articles 211 y 212 of Costa Rica’s Customs Law, which mandate the use of public infrastructure for the importation of products," said the organization in a release. It said it would keep watch to see what happens.

Twin drug cases lead
to Guanacaste raids


In two major Guanacaste drug sweeps, the Fuerza Pública and anti-drug police detained 14 persons they said were members of two gangs. The raids were in Nicoya and Santa Cruz.

The anti-drug police confiscated 2.2 million colons, 1,562 doses of crack cocaine, seven doses of ecstasy, 220 grams of cocaine and 191 doses of marijuana, they said.

Some 140 police officers participated in the raids. They were in Barrio Santo Cristo de Esquipulas and Barrio Chorotega, both Santa Cruz.

Investigators were closing in on the Santa Cruz band since the first of the year. They had picked up at least four associates in August. While doing so they learned of another group also involved in drug distribution, they said. That was the gang headquartered in Barrio San Martin in Nicoya. Four persons were detained there Thursday.


Scamsters visit victims
of tropical storm damage


Homeowners who had their property damaged by Tropical Storm Tomas might become victims again. Crooks are passing themselves off as government inspectors and trying to extort money from the homeowners.

The Ministerio de Vivienda y Asentamientos Humanos and the Banco Hipotecario de la Vivienda issued a warning Thursday. They said that government inspectors work in teams and do not ask for money.

The crooks have obtained documents that are evalution forms used by the government inspectors, the agencies said.


Young teens threatened
to leap at court building


Two young teens, who have a habit of threatening to jump, threatened to do so again Thursday afternoon from the fourth floor of the court building in downtown San José.

The two girls found their way to a balcony, and one sat on the wall and dangled a leg over the side some 50 meters above the ground. Eventually they were talked down. Both girls are involved with the Patronato Nacional de Infancia, the child welfare services, and had been living in agency shelters. They have been involved in similar incidents.

Find out what the papers said today in Spanish By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Here is the section where you can scan short summaries from the Spanish-language press. If you want to know more, just click on a link and you will see and longer summary and have the opportunity to read the entire news story on the page of the Spanish-language newspaper but translated into English. Translations may be a bit rough, but software is improving every day. When you see the Summary in English of news stories not covered today by A.M. Costa Rica, you will have a chance to comment. This is a new service of A.M. Costa Rica called Costa Rica Report. Editor is Daniel Woodall, and you can contact him HERE!

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