The General Directorate of Immigration (DGME) has reported 36 confirmed victims of human trafficking for commercial or sexual purposes in Costa Rica during the first half of 2025. In recent years, more than 530 cases involving victims of various nationalities have also been documented.
Omer Badilla, director of the DGME, emphasized that human trafficking is not confined to migrants. “This scourge affects any resident who falls prey to criminal gangs—whether local or foreign—who profit from human beings in this modern form of slavery,” he stated. The challenges posed by foreign criminal organizations were underscored by last week’s dismantling of a trafficking network linked to the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua.” The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and the Public Ministry led the operation.
Badilla acknowledged the country’s geographical vulnerabilities. “We as the Migration Police strive to strengthen border controls, but our borders are porous and vast. Criminal networks exploit these weaknesses to smuggle people into the country,” he said. According to an OIJ report, ten Venezuelan men identifying as “Los Orientales,” and allegedly connected to “Tren de Aragua,” were arrested Monday as part of an investigation that began last December.
In a separate operation on Tuesday, the Deputy Prosecutor’s Office against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants rescued 20 adult women from a sexual exploitation network. Authorities conducted seven simultaneous raids in San José, Jacó, and Alajuela, uncovering nearly 200 individuals, including minors.
“Among them, at least twenty women were confirmed as victims of trafficking, and three have already filed formal complaints,” the Public Prosecutor’s Office reported.
Officials noted that the victims were subjected to threats, coercive debts, psychological abuse, and extreme surveillance. “These tactics reflect the brutal methods used by ‘Tren de Aragua,’ a transnational criminal organization originating in Venezuela and considered among the most dangerous in the Americas,” prosecutors added.
