No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimePolice arrest suspect selling poached turtle eggs

Police arrest suspect selling poached turtle eggs

Police arrested a man with the last names Calvo Alvarado on Monday for selling turtle eggs outside of the Río Blanco stadium in Limón, on the country’s Caribbean coast.

Calvo was caught with 65 leatherback sea turtle eggs, which he was hawking for ₡1,000 ($1.82). Only Olive Ridley sea turtle eggs collected from Playa Ostional on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast  –certified by the Environment Ministry – can be legally sold in Costa Rica. If convicted, the suspect faces up to two years in prison.

Endangered leatherback sea turtles nest on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast from February to July, and poachers often target them for their meat and eggs. Officials at the Limón police department told The Tico Times that three egg sellers have been arrested so far this season in the municipality, and 485 eggs have been confiscated. More than 2,000 additional sea turtle eggs were taken from poachers along the rest of the coast.

Although numbering in the hundreds, the amount of eggs saved pales in comparison to the number of eggs taken by poachers, conservation groups say. According to Latin American Sea Turtles, a conservation group, volunteers with a former program on Moín Beach — the closest nesting beach to the city of Limón — used to collect an average of 117,920 eggs per nesting season. Due to security concerns, conservation groups no longer operate on Moín Beach, and most other nesting beaches along the country’s Caribbean coast are unprotected.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Top Court Bans President Chaves from 2026 Election Campaign

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Thursday barred President Rodrigo Chaves from participating in the 2026 election campaign, ruling that he "illegitimately used" his...

Costa Rica’s Pride March 2025 Defies Restrictions and Celebrates Diversity

A large crowd gathered in Paseo Colón, San José, to participate in the LGBTIQ+ Pride March 2025. It began at noon, as people marched...

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 Closing Event Bans Minors, Sparks Outrage

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 closing event, set for June 29 at San José’s Plaza de la Democracia, was thrown into controversy when the government...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

Former Costa Rican Minister Arrested for Drug Trafficking, Faces U.S. Extradition

Costa Rica’s judicial police arrested Celso Gamboa, a former security minister and Supreme Court judge, on Monday, following a U.S. request for his extradition...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
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