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COSTA RICA |
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Tierra
Dominicana Under Siege As Rivals Gangs
Continues To Reign Terror
Tierra Dominicana, the downtown San José
area of Avenida 7 and Calles 4 and 2, used
to be one the most peaceful neighbourhoods
in the country. But, not so anymore, as
constant confrontations between rival drug
traffickers and with police, have many still
living in the area, in fear.
The latest conflict in the areas was Monday
when a mid day shootout between two
criminals left one man dead on the
sidewalks, an innocent man who got caught in
the crossfire, and a bus with its front
window shot out.
The driver of the LA 400 bus was quick to
react when he saw a man with a gun, asking
his passengers to duck as well, a bullet
missing missing him by millimetres. The bus
company has since applied to have the bus
stop relocated from the area.
Police responding to the current situation
has began an operation called "Tierra
Dominicana" that scoured the area between
2:3pm and 6pm on Wednesday, checking
everyone in the area for drugs, weapons and
illegal status.
The regional chief of the Fuerza Pública de
San José, Raúl Rivera, said his police
officers raided two commercial establishment
and checked eight housing units in the area.
What the found were numerous hits of crack
cocaine, marijuana, people carrying weapons
without permits and a number of individuals
who entered Costa Rica illegally or never
left the country when they were required to
do so.
Rivera added that one establishment was
closed down by the Ministerio de Salud
(health ministry), a business that was
operating as a pool hall when it had a
license for an ice cream parlour and mini
super.
On Monday, 78 year old José Aguilar Aguilar
was killed by a stray bullet to his neck
near the traffic lights at the corner of 7
and 4. The man had gone out to make a
purchase at a local shop when he was caught
in the crossfire of two rival gangs.
A total of eight people were detained for
immigration irregularities, one woman who
was recently married with a Costa Rican man
after arriving in Costa Rica in May, telling
police she did not know her husband or his
whereabouts, confirming the fixed marriage
of convenience that is common with many
residents of Tierra Dominicana.
The marriage of convenience is not an
exclusive franchise of women, but also men.
Police found a Colombian man with the same
civil status.
Both were handed over to the Dirección
General de Migración y Extranjería -
immigration service - to investigate.
Rivera said that joining his officers were
also members of the Policía Municipal de San
José (municipal pollice), the Organismo de
Investigación Judicial (OIJ) - judicial
police and the Policía de Migración
(immigration police). As well as dogs
trained to sniff our drugs were used. |
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