www.CostaRicaTicas.com

The raids were July 25th 2008 (I left the country that morning!!!!) And they did not go after just the "big guys"; they closed virtually EVERY MP in San Jose. Most were reopened in a day or two, all but ZB were open in a week. As stated ZB management made the decision to remain closed till the renovations they were doing were complete.

As for not hitting the "Big guys" as you called it, HLH was just raided a little over a month or so ago. These raids of all the places did not just start in the last couple of weeks--they have been going on for over two months now. They have hit the REY several times (the BIggest of the BIG); they have hit many many of the MPs including HLH as mentioned, Athena101 (one of the most upscale and expensive Tico MPs in the Pavas area), to the little guys like 747 (I think still closed but not sure), la Mansion (I was there when they came in), Relax, etc. etc.

So far there seems to have been little concern or interest in the Gringos in these places-no harrassment, no problems with papers, etc. My opinion is that if guys remain calm, coroperate, do not act like they are worried, their passport or copy and stamp are in order, and they do not make negative remarks, they will have no problems.

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

There was an article in La Nación this morning that is disturbing in a couple ways.

It is about what, as reported, appears to be a true case of sexual slavery at a bar near the Nicaraguan border in Peñas Blancas de La Cruz, Guanacaste. Two young Nicas, 20 and 22, were offered work as waitresses at the bar. Apparently the offer was made by an agent of the bar owner while they were in Nicaragua. They supposedly traveled by foot several days to get to the bar and when they arrived were told they would be working as prostitutes. They were threatened with harm to their families if they did not accept the situation. The bar is frequented by truck drivers. Apparently they asked their first client to assist them in escaping and subsequently reported the situation to OIJ. The bar owner has been put in three months preventive detention for pimping and commercial sexual exploitation. If true, this is all pretty disturbing and the kind of thing that I'm sure everyone at CRT would condemn.

Now for the curious part. Tacked onto this article are two sentences about the raid in San José accompanied by a photo of the SWAT team entering the MP in Plaza Viquez. They neatly conflate two different stories into one, definitely implying that they are essentially equivalent.

Spanish: http://www.nacion.com/2010-08-14/Sucesos/FotoVideoDestacado/Sucesos2484068.aspx
English: http://translate.google.co.cr/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=es&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nacion.com%2F2010-08-14%2FSucesos%2FFotoVideoDestacado%2FSucesos2484068.aspx&sl=es&tl=en

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It's faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money--Tom T. Hall
No man is a failure who is enjoying life--William Faulkner

I read the two issues as separate. Based on the article the Guancaste raid was performed by OIJ Agents; based on the photos the Plaza Viquez raid was by Fuerza Publica.

That is only important to the extent that OIJ is the investigative arm of the judicial branch and would only act in this manner based on what we might call a warrant from a judge.

The FP are an arm of the executive branch and would act in the manner based on that food chain of authority.

To me the stories don’t appear to be related. Why they would add the Plaza Viquez raid to the Gunacaste raid is not clear?

The advise to keep a heads up and carry the copy of your Passport is good poop!

I searched the Teletica website. The only related stories I found on the teletica site were from June 6th and 11th 2009.

Allegedly, Mexican police advised CR police that ladies of leisure were being “supplied” to houses of leisure in Mexico by a “network” operating in Barrio Amon. The network recruited chicas from local hotels and MPs in Barrio Amon.

I could not find anything current. Ch 7 could be holding film for a larger story or it could be that there was no newsworthiness to the story and they just stored the film as “B” roll footage.

One word: Medellin.

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I believe in moderation in everything except excess.
I phuck 'em just to see the look on their face.
Klatu, berata, nicto.

JazzboCR, BangBang and others have it right; remain calm and have your papers in order.

The officials are for under*age, signs of human tra*ficking, signs of dr*g poss or use, p*mping, p*ndering, and then foreigners with no papers.