The three Costa Rican people suspected of kidnapping American citizen William Sean Creighton in Curridabat, lived in luxury in Zaragoza, Spain.
They tried to hide, but they paid high rents and already planned to acquire a sports vehicle.
“They observed a higher standard of living than they had in their country of origin, daily carrying out transfers by taxi and staying in homes for which they came to pay up to 800 euros per week,” reported the Spanish Civil Guard.
The 25-year-old man named Morales Vega, his mother named Vega Aguirre, and his girlfriend named Solís Chaves were from La Trinidad de Moravia, San José.
The authorities claim that the gang requested a ransom of $5 million. However, in the end the relatives paid around $1 million in virtual currency (bitcoins). The 43-year-old victim owns a sportsbook in San Pedro de Montes de Oca. He has not been located.
The Spanish Civil Guard explained that part of the organization left Costa Rica for Cuba with the dual purpose of hiding the crime and laundering money. They also indicated that it was possible to detect several virtual wallets and monetary transfers of the suspects.
The head of the organization was detected trying to rent a large house in the province of Alicante, with the more than possible intention to accommodate the rest of the members of the organization, who previously fled with him to Cuba.
On November 19th, the Spanish authorities detected the entry of three adults and one minor related to the organization. The three people arrested are seen as the intellectual authors of the kidnapping. In the raids they were confiscated computer equipment, accounting books, cash and bank cards enabled for cryptocurrency transactions.