Costa Rican border police agents detained a suspected human trafficker, in Spanish what’s known as a “coyote,” with six Ecuadorians in the mountains near the Panama border yesterday.

The area of southern Puntarenas province where the man was leading the six undocumented migrants  is called ​​Guaycará de Golfito.

The Costa Rican man, Agüero, knew of a route over the border that circumvented police posts and immigration controls, said the Ministry of Public Security.

However, the route he was taking near kilometer 35 of the Inter-American Highway was near a police checkpoint, and police regularly send out patrols from their post. Thus officers found Agüero and the group of migrants, and upon seeing police, the man tried to flee and had to be restrained by police.

Police escorted the presumed trafficked together with the two women, one child, and three Ecuadorian men to the immigration control post in Golfito. All of the immigrants appeared to be in good health, said police.

Agüero was placed in custody of the Golfito public prosecutor’s office, and the immigrants will be processed by immigration officials to determine what steps will be taken.

Last December, six undocumented Ecuadorians were rescued in Quepos, near Manuel Antonio National Park, also on Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast.