No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveFour Moonshine Factories Demolished by Police

Four Moonshine Factories Demolished by Police

AFTER an “intense” search, policefound, dismantled and burned four moonshinefactories in the mountains of theCentral Valley province of Alajuela,northwest of San José, the Public SecurityMinistry announced last week. They cartedoff evidence of illegal liquor operationsand destroyed 800 liters of the contraband.As many as four more such factoriesmay be located in the region, and policeare looking for them this week,Alajuela’s assistant regional policedirector Daniel Calderón told The TicoTimes.“(Moonshine) is illegal and peoplewho consume it often make trouble. It’sa big problem in the area,” Calderónsaid.Police kept a gallon of the liquor,now under laboratory study, as evidencefor the Prosecutor’s Office.“We know that many families dedicatethemselves to doing this kind ofthing, and we are going to continue hittingthe factories necessary,” Calderónsaid.The liquor, made primarily fromsugar cane, is distilled in camps undermakeshift roofs in rural areas. The processis unsanitary, producing liquor that couldbe dangerous for consumption, PublicSecurity Ministry spokesman FabiánMeza told The Tico Times.“It’s very dirty, made in dirty places –there are insects found in the mix and filthin the liquor that is left to ferment. Insectsand branches are even put into the mix onpurpose to make it ferment faster,” Mezasaid.Moonshine is often bottled in commercialliquor bottles and sold in large orsmall quantities. Its consumption exacerbatesdomestic violence, the ministry saidin a statement.Police and the Public Health Ministrywill team up to intensify strikes againstillegal liquor operations, the SecurityMinistry announced.

Trending Now

Starbucks Honors Costa Rica’s Coffee Roots in October Festivities

Coffee runs deep in our veins, a tradition that started in the 1700s and shapes our country's economy and culture today. This October, Starbucks...

Costa Rica Coast Guard Seizes Illegal Gillnets in Protected Refuge

Costa Rican Coast Guard officers pulled nearly a kilometer of illegal gillnets from protected waters in the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge during...

White House Calls Nobel Prize to Venezuelan Machado ‘Politics Over Peace’

The Norwegian Nobel Committee handed the 2025 Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Friday, sparking sharp words from the White...

Costa Rica’s Air Travel is Evolving with Route Shifts

Airlines are reshaping their paths to Costa Rica, with some Latin American carriers pulling back while others from Canada, Mexico, and Europe step up...

Costa Rica TSE Seeks to Lift President Chaves Immunity

Costa Rica's electoral tribunal has stepped up pressure on President Rodrigo Chaves by asking lawmakers to strip his immunity over claims of political interference...

Guatemala Joins Costa Rica and Ecuador in Building Anti-Gang Prisons

The Guatemalan government has put forward a new bill aimed at hitting gangs harder, with steeper sentences and a dedicated high-security prison, as the...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica