Prosecutor’s office releases most detainees arrested in alleged driver’s license fraud scheme

The prosecutor’s office released 95 people on Thursday who were arrested the previous day by Judicial Investigation Police investigating an alleged scheme to issue fraudulent driver’s licenses.

Eight other suspects remain in custody, according to Tatiana Vargas, spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office. However, the dozens of people arrested will still face a judicial process.

Authorities accuse the eight defendants still in custody of belonging to an organized crime group that carried out the alleged scheme. Among the eight are two Driver’s License Department officials, two “gavilanes,” or people who help facilitate the process of obtaining a license, and four private security guards.

The Criminal Court of San José has not yet set a time and date for a hearing to determine whether the jailed suspects will remain behind bars or will be released pending trial.