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.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Overwhelmed by gang violence and economic inequality, Salvadorans will vote on Sunday in presidential elections marked by a heavy presence of security forces. Voters will decide if El Salvador stays with its current left-leaning government, or swings back to the right.
Two suspects stole upwards of 3,000 boxes of soda crackers of various brands late on the night of Jan. 25. The suspects allegedly took a shipping container from a parking lot in San Rafael, Alajuela. The biscuit bandits used a gun to threaten a night watchman before gagging and tying him up.
MADRID – Arthur Budovsky, founder of the electronic payment platform Liberty Reserve, in a court appearance Monday denied committing any crimes and said he would fight U.S. efforts to extradite him from Spain. Spanish prosecutors, however, appeared in favor of granting the U.S. request.
Area hotel owners and guides say a lack of resources for law enforcement and insufficient response from the Costa Rican Tourism Board could damage the scenic Caribbean destination's reputation with visitors.
U.S. prosecutors accuse 27-year-old Maxim Chukharev of helping build the biggest money laundering operation in history, Costa Rica-based online currency company Liberty Reserve. But Chukharev says he’s an innocent pawn in a high-stakes political drama.
The camp, which had a heliport, is the second heavily-armed site discovered in the mountains of Costa Rica in the last month, and could be linked to arms and drug traffickers.
