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20 years

Truck driver arrested with nearly US $1 million in cash on Costa Rica-Nicaragua border

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(PCD Photo)

(PCD Photo)

ICR NEWS BRIEF

November 17th, 2015 (ICR News) Costa Rican officials seized US $890,860 from a truck driver at the Peñas Blancas border crossing with Nicaragua on Saturday.

 

According to Costa Rica’s Drug Control Police (PCD), the cash was discovered in two spare tires.  The truck driver was traveling south from Honduras with a load of construction materials, authorities said.

 

The driver, a Honduran national identified by the last name Pineda, was taken into custody on charges of money laundering.  Pineda could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

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  • costarick

    More construction in Costa Rica!

    • gc

      lol. looks like an entrance tax

  • http://insidecostarica.com/ Timothy Williams

    Wouldn’t it be great if one day one of these guys, when he appears in court, would say, “NO, DAMMIT! There was EXACTLY $1 MILLION! What’d you do with the rest?” :)

    • SDPUS

      When they found the money, which was more likely 5 million…why didn’t they just replace it with counterfit. Let him go without acknowledging and see where he takes it? Then arrest everyone. Surely the truck driver isn’t the one living in a mansion. Hell, he may not even have known it was in there. Such a corrupt war on so many levels.

      • http://insidecostarica.com/ Timothy Williams

        In reality, of course, I realize that these truck-driving mules likely have no idea whatsoever how much cash they are actually carrying in actual sums, and in some cases may not know they are carrying it at all. The mental image of such a thing taking place in a courtroom though, I just find humorous. :)

        • SDPUS

          Exactly, that is well understood. But what I don’t get is when they get searched why not let them continue on an see where they go and arrest everyone? They could even take the real bills and leave fake bills. It is not like the driver is witnessing the search. My point is why do they not go up the food chain? It would be very easy to do, but yet it is never done. We only see the truckers arrested. That will never fix the problem.

          • http://insidecostarica.com/ Timothy Williams

            I totally agree and I am curious myself why this isn’t done. Or perhaps it is done, from time to time, and we don’t know about it because we are not a newspaper in Colombia, where ultimately most of the money would lead.

            Of course, the country doing the seizing gets to keep the funds. The funds seized are supposed to be used to fund the PCD and other law enforcement. I am sure this is a motivating factor.

            You have piqued my curiosity though, might be worth a few phone calls…

          • Ken Morris

            Let us know if your phone calls turn up any information, but I for one am not holding my breath.

            Although pure conjecture, it’s been fairly obvious to me for a long time that the drug trade through Nicaragua is being managed by high-level people in or with tight connections to the government. There’s no other plausible explanation for how Nicaragua has managed to avoid the problems associated with it that every other Central American country has.

            We also have good reason to believe that a Nica official from the 1990s, who happens to appear in another of today’s stories, was personally receiving regular payoffs from the Nicaraguan military, which then was running the drug trade. It doesn’t make much sense that a country with that history of institutional involvement in the business would give it up.

            This all still remains conjecture, but I think what we have in Nicaragua is the government itself as the biggest drug gang. This is why other drug gangs can’t get a toehold in the country, as well as why other strange things happen–or don’t happen.

            Mind, whoever is running the operation is very smart. They know that they need to make a few busts from time to time to keep the US happy. They also know, or at least are told, that Nicaragua doesn’t want drugs inside the country afflicting its people. Nicas are as a consequence comparatively drug free (though some are big drinkers). However, as a transit route and a place for a little money laundering (Nicaragua needs investment capital) with some skimming off the top, it all works.

            It’s a strategy that can work for an authoritarian regime with a political culture tolerant of corruption. It even works well. It wouldn’t though work for a democracy, even a dysfunctional one like Costa Rica’s, or for wannabe authoritarians who aren’t disciplined enough to get the mix right.

          • SDPUS

            I disagree with the last statement. I think the scenario you so eloquently painted is probably true everywhere, not just Nicaragua. Too much dark money is involved. Even Presidents are able to be bought off.

            It makes sense that more established political structures have better networking ability. Both the Sandinistas and PLN have political longevity. Noriega is another example. Militarized countries likely can do it covertly trading arms for drugs trades.

            Costa Rica uses their agricultural sector. Helicopters and planes are in and out, as well as trucks and boats.

            With that said, the road ends in Panama. It makes sense much is washed in Costa Rica– especially considering its tourism based economy that has a lot of foreign capital flowing in and out. There was a succinct reason Liberty Reserve was set up and operated here.

            I have said it before and I will say it again. I enjoy your line of thinking, Ken.

          • Ken Morris

            Thanks.

            Regarding your disagreement, I’m drawing somewhat from my biography of Ortega:

            https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7392726-unfinished-revolution

            My sense, from much research and mulling, is that Ortega and his brother, Humberto, are masters in this business of, let us call it, soft authoritarianism. They consistently get the balance right (which is how Daniel can still run the country out of his hip pocket with overwhelming popular support).

            By comparison, guys like Noriega were lightweights. Everybody (except him I guess) knew early on that he was a goner, and accordingly they used him. Perhaps one exists, but I see nobody in Costa Rica in even Noriega’s talent league.

            Soft authoritarianism isn’t easy, but there’s a real talented example of one in Nicaragua.

            This said, the last evidence I have of the Ortega brothers controlling the drug trade in Nicaragua comes from the 1990s. Humberto would appear to be out of it now, since he’s comfortably retired to Costa Rica, but Daniel still controls everything else in Nicaragua–the government, the media, the church, the unions, the private sector, and even the neighborhood watch committees–so why would anyone imagine that he doesn’t also control the drug trade?

            My thinking is that Ortega is just a lot more skilled than most people in his business, and lumping him together with hacks seriously underestimates him.

          • Banana Republican

            I would think that since this procedure has been repeated countless times in history, Nicaragua has been paid off regularly, since the inception of these types of activities.

        • duke ster

          Timothy , which cellmate did you talk to in jail ? How do you get your computer in your cell without being discovered? I have to say that you are a really good investigative reporter who is willing to go all out to get the story. Ha Ha

          • http://insidecostarica.com/ Timothy Williams

            Haha funny :) Seriously though, I have spoken to a few of these truck drivers and they’re just regular guys, most with a family, who just fell for the easy money. In fact, a friend of mine’s father is even amongst them.

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