Barely one hour after the official opening of a new police checkpoint at Kilometer 35 of the southern stretch of the Inter-American Highway, National Police officers seized a shipment of contraband merchandise inside a bus owned by a company that travels between Panama and Costa Rica, the Public Security Ministry reported.
Border Police over the weekend conducted 25 operations along Costa Rica's northern border with Nicaragua, confiscating approximately ₡10 million ($18,000) in contraband from smugglers.
Contraband might seem like a good deal, but law enforcement officials argue that the illicit trade aids money launderers, weakens an already strained tax collection system and could even pose a health hazard.
The Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica voted against a motion proposed by Fabricio Alvarado, leader of the New Republic party, to withdraw the country...
