Archive for March 1st, 2010
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Costa Rican authorities seized approximately 3 tons of cocaine being transported by truck, but no arrests were made, in what appeared to be one of the biggest drug busts in recent years.
A spokesperson for the Judicial Investigation Agency, or OIJ, said that the seizure took place Friday thanks to a confidential tip that alerted the agency’s drug unit to the presence of two trucks carrying drugs parked on a vacant lot.
The find took place on a property in the town of Santo Domingo in Heredia province, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of San Jose, but the authorities did not arrest any suspects.
Authorities are investigating the case to try and find the owners of the shipment and of the two trucks, while it has been ruled out that the owner of the vacant lot had anything to do with to it, since he rented the property to unidentified persons.
The officials are weighing the drug packages to confirm the amount seized, and if it is confirmed that there are 3 tons, it will be the second biggest drug bust in recent years, surpassed only by the 6 tons found in a homemade submarine that was sailing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Costa Rica in September 2008.
Drug trafficking has become a headache for Costa Rican authorities, because the presence of organizations allied to the big Mexican and Colombian drug cartels has increased in the country, according to official reports.
Costa Rica has gone “from being a country for drug transit to a country that is a drug warehouse, where some organizations are operating in collaboration with the big drug cartels,” Security Minister Janina Del Vecchio said this week.
According to official records, since May 2006, when the current government took office, until now, some 97.2 tons of cocaine and $17.4 million have been seized from drug trafficking gangs.
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Monday, March 1st, 2010
Under the new immigration law, there is an option for you. Beginning March 1, you can submit a petition at the Immigration Administration in La Uruca, which is to the west of San José, pay $100 and you can remain another 90 days.
Renewing status at the Immigration Administration is permitted only two times, at which point you must leave Costa Rica.
What if I miss this 90 day deadline?
If you miss the 90 day deadline, you have two options. You can pay $100 for every month you’ve remained in Costa Rica “irregularly” or you can leave the country.
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Monday, March 1st, 2010
“The immigration law which takes effect Monday (today) includes a new requirement for foreign residents in Costa Rica. To renew residency status, the applicant must show proof of insurance from the government Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social.”
The law also says insurance must be maintained “from the moment residency is granted, in an uninterrupted manner until the moment the card is renewed.” As the Costa Rican Constitution prohibits the retroactive application of law, the requirement presumably takes effect with the new law Monday.
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Monday, March 1st, 2010
The first trip to South America by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will take place amidst a series of U.S. policy changes in the region. By confirming that she will attend the new Uruguayan President Jose Mujica’s today inauguration ceremony in Montevideo, Secretary Clinton will have the chance to meet with several of the region’s newly-elected presidents.
The agenda will include post-inauguration ceremony meetings with the new Uruguayan president and also with Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. On March 2, she will fly to Chile where she is scheduled to speak with outgoing President Michelle Bachelet and the newly-elected president, Sebastian Piñera. On Wednesday she will travel to Brasilia to meet with President Lula da Silva and on Thursday she will meet in Costa Rica with outgoing incumbent President Oscar Arias and with the incoming President Laura Chinchilla. Advance planning is also taking place for her to visit Guatemala, where she would meet with several heads of state from Central America and the Dominican Republic.
Some of the likely topics on the agenda are Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s recent expressions of disappointment with President Obama’s policies on the region. According to assistant secretary of state Arturo Valenzuela, talks in Chile will include joint policies to enhance economic competitiveness, and in Brazil she will lobby for Brazilian support for U.S. policies against Iran. Finally, in Costa Rica, Mrs. Clinton will give a speech at the 3rd ministerial meeting on the Road for Prosperity in the Americas where she is expected to emphasize the importance of trade.
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Monday, March 1st, 2010
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) says it guarantees 3G cellular service for at least 90% of the entire San José – Caldera highway, upgrading its coverage of the area following complaints by a number of users.
ICE says that the coverage is also assured for data transmission, that is mobile internet services that allow the sending and receiving of emails and web surfing over a cellular telephone.
According to ICE, coverage from the Gimnasio Nacional (east end of the Sabana park) and the Brazil de Mora is 100%, from Brasil de Mora to Orotina, 86% and back to 100% from Orotina to Caldera.
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Monday, March 1st, 2010
Costa Rica is asking the U.N.’s International Court of Justice to consider its maritime rights when it rules in a dispute between Nicaragua and Colombia over ownership of Caribbean islands.
The court has already awarded three islands in the San Andres Archipelago to Colombia and is now drawing the maritime boundary between the two countries.
The court said Friday an application received from Costa Rica says the claims of both its neighbors run into Costa Rica’s maritime zone. Costa Rica wants to “intervene” in the case to ensure that its legal rights and interests are protected.
The initial court ruling came more than two years ago. It is not clear when it will announce the final maritime demarcation.
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Monday, March 1st, 2010
Bank customers who suffered a loss due to internet fraud may soon get reimbursed following a Sala I court decision that allows victims of internet bank fraud to be compensated.
The Asociación de Consumidores Libres estimates that some us$8 million dollars of some 300 customers were take from accounts at various banking institutions in Costa Rica.
Five of the 271 compliants filed with the specialized fraud unit of the Fiscalía (Proesecutor’s office) claim they had money withdrawn from their accounts by way of the internet even though they do not have access to internet.
The complaints are from all areas of the country.
Costa Rican judicial authorities investigating internet banking fraud estimate that more than half of the fraud was committed by “phishing”, the sending of emails asking the receiver to log-in to their bank account, while the log in information is recorded and used by the scamsters.
In other cases, malicious spyware installs a program on the persons computer that “farms” personal information. The malicious program is usually delivered by email, the receiver unsuspectingly installs the code when the email is opened.
Typical redirection from emails mimics front ends of legitimate bank websites, but in reality are set up with the sole purpose of harvesting log in information. Other tricks include what appears a genuine email from the person’s bank informing of a problem with their account or that the account has been frozen, all in an effort to prompt the receiver to open the email.
The only to protect from this type of fraud is to constantly change your password, use a strong anti-virus program that includes email scans, the use of a “passkey” (a changing additional code issued by some banks) and just plain old common sense.
If you have been or believe to be a victim of bank fraud in Costa Rica, you can call the Asociación de Consumidores at 2221-5905 for more information.
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Monday, March 1st, 2010
Costa Rica is asking the U.N.’s International Court of Justice to consider its maritime rights when it rules in a dispute between Nicaragua and Colombia over ownership of Caribbean islands.
The court has already awarded three islands in the San Andres Archipelago to Colombia and is now drawing the maritime boundary between the two countries.
The court said Friday an application received from Costa Rica says the claims of both its neighbors run into Costa Rica’s maritime zone. Costa Rica wants to “intervene” in the case to ensure that its legal rights and interests are protected.
The initial court ruling came more than two years ago. It is not clear when it will announce the final maritime demarcation.
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Monday, March 1st, 2010
The recall of 430.000 Suzuki vehicles will not affect any units sold in Costa Rica, the Suzuki importer and dealer in Costa Rica, Vetrasa, reports.
Allan Altamarino, marketing director of Vetrasa, the vehicle with problems are those manufactured by Suzuki for Mazda for distribution in Japan.
Altamarino said the vehicles under recall could not have made it to Latin America due to questions of fuel and security and 100% certain that none of the recalled units ever entered Costa Rica.
The Suzuki recalls comes at the heels of recalls by Toyota and Honda.
In Costa Rica, Purdy Motors, the importer and dealer of Toyota vehicles says the recall affectes only 12 vehicles sold in the country, while at the Faco, the Honda dealer and importer, 37 vehicles imported between 2001 and 2002 are affected.
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