Detention of Massage Parlor Owner for Alleged Prostitution in Costa Rica
Judicial authorities arrest a 34-year-old woman as part of an investigation into human trafficking and unlawful migrant trafficking.
On May 7, 2025, the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) announced the arrest of a 34-year-old woman, identified by the last name Prado, on charges of alleged prostitution.
The arrest took place on the afternoon of May 6, following multiple anonymous reports suggesting illicit activity at a massage parlor in Costa Rica.
Investigators from the Special Section on Gender Violence, Human Trafficking, and the Illegal Trafficking of Migrants conducted the operation after receiving tips that indicated the establishment was involved in activities beyond standard massage services.
Evidence collected during the investigation indicated that women at the parlor were purportedly offering sexual services.
Reports noted that the parlor charged 25,000 colones for these services, with 12,000 colones reportedly going to the women providing the services.
During the police operation, investigators seized 1,400,000 colones in cash, believed to be part of the establishment's proceeds from the alleged illegal activities.
The arrested woman is currently under the jurisdiction of the Public Prosecutor's Office as the investigation proceeds.
In a separate incident on the same day, a 28-year-old man, last name Ramírez, was also taken into custody under suspicion of fraud for allegedly using the identities of clients from a telecommunications company to solicit loans in their names.
The OIJ reported that Ramírez, who is employed by the phone company, is linked to four separate cases.
He is accused of misusing client information to obtain loans, resulting in an estimated financial loss of approximately 2 million colones.
Two raids were conducted on May 7 in Alajuelita, San José, where Ramírez resides, and in Heredia, where he works.
The fraudulently obtained funds were purportedly used to purchase various goods from different merchants.
Additionally, the Environmental Prosecutor's Office in Osa has discovered a residential construction project located within a forested area in the Paso la Danta biological corridor in Quepos.
In light of this finding, the construction has been halted as a precaution.
The responsible company has been ordered to remove the ongoing construction over a stream and restore the affected protective areas surrounding water bodies, as well as undertake mitigation measures to prevent landslides in the impacted zones.
The investigation indicates that the defendants may have misled the National Technical Environmental Secretariat (SETENA) by submitting falsified documentation asserting that the construction site was not within a forest area, leading to erroneous approval.
However, inspections conducted by SETENA and the Prosecutor's Office confirmed the presence of forest, which precludes construction activities.
The ongoing investigation encompasses allegations of illegal land use change, unlawful logging, illegal resource exploitation, water usurpation, environmental degradation, and forgery.
The arrest took place on the afternoon of May 6, following multiple anonymous reports suggesting illicit activity at a massage parlor in Costa Rica.
Investigators from the Special Section on Gender Violence, Human Trafficking, and the Illegal Trafficking of Migrants conducted the operation after receiving tips that indicated the establishment was involved in activities beyond standard massage services.
Evidence collected during the investigation indicated that women at the parlor were purportedly offering sexual services.
Reports noted that the parlor charged 25,000 colones for these services, with 12,000 colones reportedly going to the women providing the services.
During the police operation, investigators seized 1,400,000 colones in cash, believed to be part of the establishment's proceeds from the alleged illegal activities.
The arrested woman is currently under the jurisdiction of the Public Prosecutor's Office as the investigation proceeds.
In a separate incident on the same day, a 28-year-old man, last name Ramírez, was also taken into custody under suspicion of fraud for allegedly using the identities of clients from a telecommunications company to solicit loans in their names.
The OIJ reported that Ramírez, who is employed by the phone company, is linked to four separate cases.
He is accused of misusing client information to obtain loans, resulting in an estimated financial loss of approximately 2 million colones.
Two raids were conducted on May 7 in Alajuelita, San José, where Ramírez resides, and in Heredia, where he works.
The fraudulently obtained funds were purportedly used to purchase various goods from different merchants.
Additionally, the Environmental Prosecutor's Office in Osa has discovered a residential construction project located within a forested area in the Paso la Danta biological corridor in Quepos.
In light of this finding, the construction has been halted as a precaution.
The responsible company has been ordered to remove the ongoing construction over a stream and restore the affected protective areas surrounding water bodies, as well as undertake mitigation measures to prevent landslides in the impacted zones.
The investigation indicates that the defendants may have misled the National Technical Environmental Secretariat (SETENA) by submitting falsified documentation asserting that the construction site was not within a forest area, leading to erroneous approval.
However, inspections conducted by SETENA and the Prosecutor's Office confirmed the presence of forest, which precludes construction activities.
The ongoing investigation encompasses allegations of illegal land use change, unlawful logging, illegal resource exploitation, water usurpation, environmental degradation, and forgery.
