Upwards of 22 percent of alcoholic drinks in Costa Rica are illegal contraband, while black-market cigarettes and fake pharmaceuticals are increasingly available, according to the Finance Ministry.
Three checks from Taiwan for $1 million, $4 million and $5 million were issued by the Bank of New York, endorsed by Francisco Flores and received by a branch of Banco Cuscatlán in Costa Rica.
Law enforcement officers dismantled Tuesday one of the most important Costa Rican cocaine and marijuana trafficking organizations, arresting suspected international drug traffickers and several National Police officers.
"Comandante Cero" alleged that Costa Rica's public security vice minister payed the international police organization to issue a red alert against him, a charge the Costa Rican official scoffed at.
