No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveJudicial police arrest 70 suspects in alleged driver's license fraud scheme

Judicial police arrest 70 suspects in alleged driver’s license fraud scheme

Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) on Wednesday morning arrested 70 people suspected of fraudulently obtaining driver’s licenses. The arrests took place during several raids conducted simultaneously across the country.

Agents also arrested two officials from the Driver’s License Department and two “gavilanes,” or people who help facilitate the process.

At 10:30 a.m., OIJ officers raided a private doctor’s practice located just two blocks from the Roadway Safety Council in La Uruca, where physicals allegedly were been sold.

In the afternoon, Chief Public Defender Marta Iris Muñoz said the “mass arrests ​​by OIJ agents this morning violate human rights.”

She said the defendants were being held in a single room in a San José court detention center. “The room is overcrowded, this is outrageous,” she told the daily La Nación.

Muñoz also alleged that OIJ officers did not allow public defenders to meet with those who were arrested.

According to the a report issued by the Prosecutor’s Office, a total of 95 suspects have been identified as allegedly participating in the scheme.

Trending Now

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...

Heavy Rains in Costa Rica Trigger Landslides and Floods

Costa Rica faces tough conditions lately from ongoing heavy rains that have sparked deadly landslides and major flooding over the last few days. In...

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...

Costa Rica Faces Nicaragua in Key World Cup Qualifier Match

Costa Rica takes on Nicaragua this Tuesday at the Estadio Nacional in a match that could shape their path in the 2026 World Cup...

Costa Rica Ranger Trapped After Falling off Cliff on Cocos Island

Rescue teams in Costa Rica continue their efforts to save a park ranger who fell down a 40-meter cliff on Isla del Coco. The...

Four Arrested in Costa Rica for Suspected Murder of ‘Gringo Tico’

Authorities in Costa Rica have detained four people linked to the robbery and suspected killing of Daniel Francisco Vargas Salas, a 71-year-old man who...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
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