An Average of 5 Fugitives Caught in Costa Rica Each Month
Costa Rica known for it's natural beauty and "pura vida" lifestyle not only attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, but also those wanted in their own country, hiding out in this tropical paradise, evading the legal process that awaits them.

Wanted for robbery, fraud and murder, 60 foreign fugitives were captured last year on Costa Rican soil, all who had international arrest warrants issued against them.

The latest arrest on May 3 of American fugitive, Russell Winstead, who was arrested at a downtown San José casino by the International Police (INTERPOL) following a tip to America's Most Wanted, wanted for stabbing to death his 87 year old aunt in Kentucky.

During the first three months of this authorities say they had captured 15 fugitives, keeping with the average of 5 captures a month.

Why do fugitives choose Costa Rica? According to Marco Badilla, director of Migración (Immigration), he says that Costa Rica offers a life close to that of the United States.

Guido Alvarado, director of Dirección de Inteligencia y Seguridad (DIS) - the intelligence and security police - says that most underestimate the capacity of the Costa Rican authorities and their ability to use resources and technology to track and capture them.

INTERPOL, working with and from the offices of the DIS in San José has a special system that has set records in tracking and arresting fugitives who have crossed international borders. Their method of information gathering and distribution is very efficient, according to Alvarado.

Authorities beleive that the trend of hiding out in Costa Rica will continue and that it won't be any surprise if the numbers of captures reach or surpass that of last year.