Group charged $15,000 to sneak in foreigners, provide false naturalization

April 26^th, 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com) Immigration police have dismantled a criminal group that was charging $15,000 each to illegal Dominican immigrants, in order to sneak them into the country and provide false naturalization through phony marriages.

Authorities conducted a raid yesterday in Alajuelita, where they arrested the alleged leader of the group, a Dominican by the last name of Diaz, who is a naturalized Costa Rican citizen.

Police also raided a house near the Puntarenas bus stop in downtown San Jose, attempting to capture another of the suspects involved, but were unable to locate the suspect at the time.

Freddy Montero, Deputy Minister of the Interior, said that authorities have been keep track of the group since July 2012.

The group apparently would sneak Dominican citizens into the country by land, through blind spots in the Panamanian and Nicaraguan borders.

Once in the country, the group would provide for false marriages and would falsify official documents in order to provide Costa Rican naturalization for their customers.

Authorities said that most of the group’s customers eventually settled in places like Jaco, Osa, and Cuidad Cortés, in addition to San Jose and Cartago.

Months ago, police had seized $410,000 in cash and half a kilo of cocaine from the same group, and believe they may also be involved in international cocaine trafficking and money laundering.