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🇳🇮 Nicaragua /Crime & Justice

Costa Rica to Punish Illegal Nicaraguan Miners with Up to Six Years in Prison

From Confidencial · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly approved a bill in its first debate to classify illegal mining as organized crime.
  • The law raises prison sentences to up to six years for those operating in structured networks.
  • The legislation aims to curb environmental damage caused by illegal Nicaraguan miners extracting gold in Crucitas de Cutris.

Costa Rica is set to impose stricter penalties on illegal mining, classifying it as organized crime. The Legislative Assembly approved a bill in its first debate that could lead to prison sentences of up to six years for individuals involved in structured illegal mining operations.

The proposed law, titled "Reform to several laws to strengthen the fight against organized crime in environmental offenses," aims to combat the environmental and security crisis plaguing the border area of Crucitas de Cutris. This region has seen a surge in illegal gold extraction by Nicaraguan miners crossing the border irregularly.

Today we finally achieved a substantial real step to combat illegal mining in Crucitas and other parts of our country, as well as other criminal activities, such as illegal logging, such as trafficking in endangered wildlife.

— José María VillaltaThe head of the Frente Amplio faction, José María Villalta, explained the implications of the approved reforms after their passage.

President Laura Fernández has voiced concerns about a potential "invasion" of illegal miners from Nicaragua. The legislative initiative, initially presented in September 2023, gained momentum through political negotiations. The executive branch convened the project for extraordinary sessions, and in return, the Frente Amplio party withdrew numerous motions that had been blocking the government's plan for legalizing industrial mining in the area.

The bill passed with 53 votes in favor and will undergo further amendments. It allows for the application of tools from the Law against Organized Crime, such as extended investigation periods and communication interception. The classification as organized crime will enable judicial and prosecutorial bodies to trace financial structures, the use of cyanide, and international gold buyers. Legislators emphasized that this measure is a substantial step towards combating illegal mining and other environmental crimes like illegal logging and wildlife trafficking.

This project allows us to sanction, investigate, and prosecute these activities as organized crime, which is what they are.

— José María VillaltaThe head of the Frente Amplio faction, José María Villalta, highlighted the bill's capacity to address illegal mining as a criminal enterprise.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Confidencial in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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