Last Saturday, the Border Patrol arrested four illegal gold seekers in a mountainous area of Crucitas de Cutris, in San Carlos.
The men were surprised with artefacts for the extraction of the mineral as well as mercury, a highly toxic substance for the flora and fauna of the area.
One of the apprehended gold miners is a Costa Rican national named Obando, who had a national arrest warrant for failure to comply with measures in a domestic violence case. He was immediately referred to the appropriate authority.
The other miners are two brothers named Zúñiga and one man by the name of Oviedo. They were all sent to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The Border Police seized shovels, bulbs, buckets and 160 grams of mercury.
They also had a radio communication with which they were communicating with a fifth accomplice that authorities hope to arrest soon.