Q COSTARICA — Of the 790 homicides recorded in 2025, five cases more than at the same time last year, at least 74 were collateral victims, according to data from the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ).
These are people who had no involvement in the violent incidents that resulted in one or more deaths, but who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The good news is that, when compared to the same period last year, specifically November 26, 2024, there has been a decrease of nine cases, as there were 83 collateral victims a year ago.
Currently, the war between drug gangs for territory is the leading cause of murders, with 571 cases, the OIJ reported.
Harsher Penalties
Last week, with only two female legislators opposing the measure, the Legislative Assembly approved in its first debate a bill that would punish hitmen, ‘sicarios’ in Spanish, with 40 years in prison.
Vanessa Castro, of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC), and independent Gloria Navas opposed the plan, while 38 legislators approved it.
The initiative was presented by the Nueva República party and seeks one of the harshest penalties in the Penal Code for those who accept money in exchange for killing.
The conservative party, led by Fabricio Alvarado, the presidential candidate in 2026, had sought sentences of up to 50 years in prison for hitmen, but the plan did not gain the necessary political support.
“It’s a good step, not the one we wanted, because for the Nueva República the sentence should be 50 years in prison, but reaching 40 years is already progress,” said Alvarado.
The bill now requires a second reading and approval before it can be sent to the President for his signature.