20 "Compra y Ventas" Shut Down by Police
Due to the rising number of thefts in San José, in the downtown area as well as the suburbs, San José Municipal authorities, along with members of the Fuerza Pública (police), the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) and the Policía Fiscal, visited a number of "compra y ventas" - buy and sell - shops in the city.

It is no secret that a major part of stolen merchandise appears in these compra y ventas.

Compra y ventas are basically pawn shops where one can get a cash advance on goods which can later be reclaimed after paying the loan and the fees. For others, it is a great bargain centre to buy used merchandise, sometimes, at a fraction of the price for new.

However, others use compra y ventas to "fence" their stolen goods. At some compra y ventas they have two values for merchandise being left behind - one for the eventual claim of the property, the other, cash today and never to be seen again.

Rafael Arias, assistant to the Johnny Araya, mayor of San José, confirmed that during their operations, some 20 compra y ventas were shut down, most of them in the area located around the big compra y venta, La Cueva.

Arias said in a press release, that the compra y ventas closed did not comply with the regulations of operations and some did not have a license nor a health permit as required by the Ministerio de Salud.

Arias added that the inspections will not stop there and will continue until the end of December.

Cellular telephones, digital cameras and computers top the list with jewellery for items that are being traded for cash.

A target for thieves are unsuspecting tourists who are distracted while being divested of their goods. The goods are then sold to the compra y ventas. The tourist will not be around long enough to follow through even if a complaint is made and thus leaving the thieves free to apply their trade.