In 2015 Costa Rica was the site of major drug busts, a first-of-its-kind sex tourism case and the rise of a serial killer. Here are the year's five biggest crime stories.
Costa Rica’s Tourism Ministry and PANIAMOR Foundation on Wednesday disclosed the first results of an online strategy to fight Costa Rica’s image as a child sex tourism destination.
Costa Rican authorities say that the man known as "Cuba Dave" has been illegally promoting the country as a haven for sex tourism, despite a 2012 law that forbids attracting people to Costa Rica for the exploitation of prostitution.
"If you are thinking about visiting Costa Rica with the purpose of paying for sex with underage people you could stay in this place for years or forever since this is a felony under Costa Rica’s law,” warns a fake listing on Airbnb, posted by an anti-trafficking group.
Sexual and labor exploitation are the top two drivers of human trafficking in Costa Rica this year, but organ trafficking continues to concern authorities, according to Immigration Administration Director Kathya Rodriguez.
Olger Ulate Ulate, 55, a Costa Rican man arrested in Brazil last week for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old transvestite prostitute, was released with preventive measures the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry confirmed. Brazilian police did not say when Ulate was released.
Ólger Ulate Ulate, 55, a Tico who traveled to Brazil to attend the FIFA World Cup, was arrested Wednesday by Brazilian police in the city of Natal for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old transvestite sex worker, several local media reported.
