Costa Rican security officials have given conflicting accounts of whether the daughter of alleged crime boss Alejandro Arias Monge, alias “Diablo,” was formally detained after police intercepted her outside La Reforma prison. The woman, identified by authorities by the surnames Arias Fonseca, was stopped Saturday near the prison’s main entrance in San Rafael de Alajuela. She was carrying a firearm and traveling in a fully armored Toyota Prado, according to officials.
An initial account described the intervention as a detention carried out by the Directorate of Intelligence and National Security, known as the DIS, in coordination with the Fuerza Pública and the Penitentiary Police. A later account from the Public Security Ministry said Arias Fonseca was identified and removed from the area but was not detained because she held a valid permit to carry a firearm. The ministry said she was subsequently allowed to leave.
The ministry has not clarified whether officers briefly held her while checking her identity and documents, formally placed her under arrest and then released her, or simply stopped and questioned her at the security perimeter. Security Minister Gerald Campos said the woman was carrying a firearm and permits and was traveling in a completely armored vehicle. He also suggested that additional weapons could exist, but authorities did not announce that any other firearms were found inside the Prado.
Campos said authorities will continue checking people and vehicles and watching for unusual movement around La Reforma. The prison has been under heightened security since Arias Monge and another suspected criminal leader, Jonathan Pérez Méndez, alias “Tan,” were transferred there.
The firearm permit appears to explain why the woman was allowed to leave despite the unusual circumstances surrounding the stop. The Costa Rica’s Arms and Explosives Law requires anyone carrying a firearm to have a permit. Regulations allow an authorized person to carry a loaded, legally permitted weapon in populated areas for personal protection.
Carrying a permitted firearm without a valid license can result in two to four years in prison. When the firearm is properly permitted and the person has a valid carry license, however, possession of the weapon by itself does not establish a crime. Authorities have not said whether the firearm was temporarily seized during the document check, whether its registration was verified or whether it was returned to Arias Fonseca. They also did not report any legal problem involving the armored vehicle.
Police could still order her to leave the immediate prison perimeter as part of the security controls without arresting her or filing criminal charges. Arias Monge was captured Friday, July 24, in Sarapiquí after nearly a decade as one of Costa Rica’s most wanted fugitives. The operation included a prolonged gunfight that left eight Judicial Investigation Agency officers injured.
He and Pérez Méndez are being held under strict security measures at La Reforma while the criminal proceedings against them move forward. For now, the status of Saturday’s intervention remains unresolved. Public Security’s most recent account indicates Arias Fonseca was legally carrying the firearm and was released after being identified, while other official descriptions characterized the same encounter as a detention.
