Q COSTA RICA — The Dirección de Inteligencia y Seguridad Nacional (DIS) and the Fuerza Pública (National Police) located a woman identified as Arias Fonseca, daughter of Alejandro Arias Monge, known as alias “Diablo,” during an operation near the main entrance of La Reforma prison in Alajuela.
The police intervention took place within the context of intensified actions to strengthen security in the prison area, following the arrest of the most wanted criminal in the country the previous day.
Following the detention, “daiblo” was transferred to the Maximum Security module unit of the La Reforma Penitentiary Center awaiting a pretrial hearing.
According to the police report, agents arrested Arias Fonseca while she was traveling in an armored vehicle and carrying a firearm.
Security controls reinforced around La Reforma prison
Public Security Minister Gerald Campos stated that the deployment responds to the need to guarantee “extreme security in all areas surrounding La Reforma prison.”
“We are working in conjunction with the DIS (akin to the Secret Service in the United States) and the Penitentiary Police, providing all the necessary support to ensure extreme security in the entire area surrounding La Reforma prison. We will be checking people, we will be checking vehicles, we will be monitoring all suspicious activity. It is time to put a stop to those who have caused so much harm to the country, and we will be working hard because our enemy is organized crime,” Campos stated.
The arrest of Arias Fonseca stemmed directly from the inter-institutional coordination that has been strengthened following the capture of her father, Alejandro Arias Monge.
During the inspection, it was verified that the detainee was carrying documentation authorizing her to carry weapons, but an investigation has been opened to determine whether the vehicle’s armor plating and the weaponry were being used for illicit purposes or as part of a personal protection strategy.
After the police intervention, Arias Fonseca was released, although authorities will keep the investigation open and reinforce security controls in the vicinity of the prison. So far, no further incidents have been reported.
The arrest of alias “Diablo” took place on Friday in Horquetas de Sarapiquí, in the northern section of Costa Rica, near the border with Nicaragua, following an operation coordinated by the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) and other security forces, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), that now has a permanent station in Costa Rica, which left five police officials injured, and the death of one of the bad guys, in an hour long shootout according to police reports.
Security forces have intensified surveillance and controls in the vicinity of La Reforma prison. The deployment includes vehicle inspections, background checks, and monitoring of pedestrian traffic in the area, as part of actions aimed at preventing incidents related to organized crime and ensuring security around the prison.