Seguridad Minister Wants To Know Where Are All the Guns; Guns Stolen From Guacima Police  Station
Ok, where are all the guns? That is the question that the new Ministro de Seguridad, Fernando Berrocal, is asking and has made a formal complaint to the Fiscal General, Francisco D´Allanese.

According to Berrocal, it appears that a number of "important" firearms and ammunition is missing from the Arsenal Nacional (National Arsenal) and the new minister wants to know where they went and who has them.

Berrocal, without disclosing details on the types of firearms missing, since it is a state secret, said that a quantity of guns are missing and that the situation is alarming.

Authorities were quick to point out that the control over the Arsenal Nacional has been less than adequate and this is the cause for the disappearances.

Berrocal is asking that the Fiscal investigate what happened to the firearms and that charges be brought before those public officials and former officials of the Ministerio de Seguridad that had the responsibility of safekeeping the firearms and ammunition.


In a totally unrelated incident, thieves made off with all the firearms of the Delegación de la Fuerza Pública en Guácimo (Guacimo police station) Monday morning.

Stolen from the station storeroom were 15 high powered rifles like the M16, five .38 revolvers, 1 Beretta and 3 .45 handguns, in addition to ammunition.

The news came as a bucket of cold water on the heads of the Ministerio de Seguridad.

"Luis Hernández was in charge of the night watch. At 6am when he was relieved by Esteban Rodríguez, the locks to the armery were cut and the small arms room completely empty", according to station commande Jorge Meoño, who almost suffered a heart attack on learning of the news.

Guacimo is on Route 32, the main road to Limón and the station is 125 metres from the highway. The small sation has only one police official on duty during the night.

A roadblock that extended 3 kilometres was immediately set up. Officials of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) and regional commanders were quickly on the scene.

Police fear that not only are thieves heavily armed but can now commit crimes using government guns.