Confiscated Autos and Property Help Government Generate Revenue to Combat Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering
Audi A6, Porsche, Murano and Avalanche are some of the name plates of 579 luxury vehicles that state has warehoused, confiscated from those involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. The cars are being held in a warehouse controlled by the Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas (ICD) and valued at ¢450 million colones (us$910.000 dollars).

In addition, the ICD is holding to two small airplanes and 10 boats along with some ¢2.3 billion colones in cash, of which ¢699 million were passed on to government coffers and the balance being managed by the ICD.

Guillermo Hernández, director of the ICD, said the confiscation helps generate revenue in the fight against drugs and money laundering as permitted by law.

The first step of police officials is to confiscate the goods then is a court trial determines the guilt the individual who had the property confiscated, the goods become property of the state.

Hernández added that the law allows the ICD, once it has obtained legal possession of the property, automobiles and other movable goods, it can loan it out to other government institutions. Of the 579 vehicles confiscated, 279 are on loan, Hernández said.

In the case of the boats and airplanes, they are being passed onto the Fuerza Pública, who uses them to patrol the coastlines.

Confiscated real estate is auctioned off. This year, according to Hernández, there were six such auctions, generating some ¢942 million colones in revenues. The auction in Flamingo of the property confiscated in 1990 from Jurgen Klaus Peter Aherens generated ¢470 million alone.

Hernández said that the foreigner had used the house as shelter and planning for his drug trafficking business according to the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Hernández added that at times the ICD donates some of the confiscated property, but would not elaborate on the details.