Costa Rica has detained 56 Peruvian nationals today after finding them working without authorization at a gold mine in Miramar, Puntarenas. The workers had entered Costa Rica as tourists before taking jobs at the mining site, according to the Dirección de Inteligencia y Seguridad Nacional (DIS).
The arrests followed several weeks of intelligence gathering in Miramar, a district in the canton of Montes de Oro. DIS agents then carried out a joint inspection with Costa Rica’s Professional Migration Police and the Fuerza Pública. All 56 workers were detained during the operation today. Immigration authorities immediately opened administrative proceedings that could result in their deportation.
DIS Director Pablo Martínez Bertozzi said investigators established that the group had entered the country under tourist status and later joined the mine’s workforce. Tourists are not permitted to work in Costa Rica without the appropriate immigration status and employment authorization.
During a government presentation about the operation, Martínez identified the company connected to the site as Compañía Ríos Minerales S.A. Authorities have not said whether the gold mining taking place at the site was itself illegal or whether the company held valid mining or processing permits. They also have not announced criminal charges against the company, its managers or anyone accused of recruiting the workers.
No information was released about how long the Peruvians had been working at the mine, how they were recruited, what they were paid or whether investigators found evidence of labor exploitation. The operation comes amid growing concern over gold mining in Montes de Oro. Costa Rica’s College of Geologists recently warned that illegal gold mining and processing appeared to be increasing in the area and called for a coordinated national strategy.
Government records from 2024 showed several mining exploration files and one processing plant file in Montes de Oro. Five complaints involving suspected illegal mining were filed in the area that year. Costa Rica prohibited open-pit metal mining in 2010. Mining activity permitted in areas such as Montes de Oro is generally limited to regulated underground, artisanal and small-scale operations.
Miramar has a long history of gold production, particularly around the former Bellavista mine. The site became the focus of environmental controversy after a containment system failed in 2007, releasing contaminated material into the surrounding area. Today’s operation highlights a separate enforcement problem involving foreign nationals entering Costa Rica legally as visitors and then taking jobs outside the immigration system.
Authorities have not said whether the investigation remains open or whether additional inspections are planned at other mining sites.
