The Ministry of Public Security conducted nine searches this Wednesday, November 14, eight of them in Alajuela and one in San José, to break down a local drug trafficking organization that is apparently linked to murders of members of other criminal groups and also debtors.

According to the Drug Control Police (PCD) the group was formed by 14 people, 8 of them were arrested today, the other six had been already captured in a different operation and are currently in preventive imprisonment.

During the process of investigation which began on December 2017 and thanks to several anonymous calls received, the police concluded that the selling of drugs was carried out near local schools, and sports fields in San Rafael, La Guácima and Villa Bonita in the province of Alajuela, also in San José and Liberia in Guanacaste, the group was well organized with points of sale, storage places and providers and each of its members had specific roles and handled particular functions.

PCD also informed that those arrested are being investigated for their involvement in several homicides in Alajuela, apparently as a result of disputes over territories to sell drugs and other natural problems related to the drug trafficking operation.

Those detained are between the ages of 22 and 42. The leader is a man with the last name Moncada Contreras and is 33 years of age.