Officers of Costa Rica’s border police arrested a suspected people smuggler, commonly referred to as a “coyote,” and four undocumented migrants from Ghana in Golfito on Wednesday.

The smuggler, identified by the last name Fonseca, was arrested on charges of human trafficking, while the four migrants – men aged from 24 to 41, were turned over to immigrantion authorities for deportation. The migrants were identified by the last names Djibril, Azis, Anudn, and Usman.

Costa Rican authorities have increasingly been encountering undocumented migrants from the Middle East and Africa attempting to traverse Costa Rica and Central America en route to the United States.

In late December, Costa Rica law enforcement officers detained 51 illegal migrants from Iraq, Syria, Nepal, Bangladesh, Somalia and Eritrea who were traveling concealed in the back of a cattle truck near Jaco.

Also in December, authorities detained another 17 undocumented migrants from Nepal and Bangladesh, also in Golfito in southern Costa Rica.

Central America is increasingly being used as a “land bridge” for migrants and refugees from around the world to reach the United States.

Migrants begin their journey by flying to Ecuador, in South America, a country that doesn’t require entry visas for nearly any nationality.  The migrants then continue their journey northward by land, illegally traversing Central America nations like Costa Rica along the way with the assistance of human smugglers and traffickers, known as “coyotes.”