By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Drug Control Police at
Juan Santamaría International Airport*
encountered a man named Torres-Áviles, 61, and said he was a
suspect of money laundering. The man is Puerto Rican but with
Costa Rican residency, police said.
According to the police report, Torres-Áviles arrived from Panamá
and during a inspection money was detected attached with tape to
his body.
"The total amount of money seized was $49,399.00, plus 8,000
colones and 4,680 cordobas in cash," said the police in its
report.
Torres- Áviles was taken to the Public Ministry to be interviewed
by authorities. He must remain in custody until a judge determines
pre-trial measures against him.
On a similar case, published in A.M. Costa Rica on July 23, a
Peruvian woman surnamed Achong-Peña was detained with more than
$125,000 hidden in her baggage.
In that case, a criminal court judge in the Province of Alajuela
ordered three months of pre-trial detention against the woman, who
is a suspect of money laundering.
According to the court file, Achong-Peña also was arrested at Juan
Santamaría International Airport when she entered the country on a
flight from Lima, Perú.
Drug Control police officers said they found $125,520 and 500
euros hidden in the baggage in a routine inspection. That amount
of money was not reported by the woman to the Immigration officers
when she was entering the country, as required by law, they said.
In a more detailed review, the officers said they detected that
some of the dollars were counterfeit, so all the money went to a
bank for inspection.
