Former Consul Of
The Congo Nabbed
In Costa Rica
With US$3
Million In Cash
In His Bag
The former
consul of the
Republic of the
Congo, Emery
Ngoyi Ndamamba,
was detained on
Friday at the
Aeropuerto
Internacional
Juan Santamaría
(San José
airport) with
us$3 million
dollars in cash
in his
"diplomatic"
suitcase,
becoming the
largest cash
seizure in Costa
Rica's history.
 
Former consul
of the Republic
of the Congo,
Emery Ngoyi
Ndamamba
handcuffed and
being escorted
to court (left)
and the
diplomatic case
carrying the
cash (right)
Mauricio
Boraschi, Costa
Rica's drug
commissioner,
explained that
Ngoyi was
detained by
agents of the
Dirección de
Inteligencia y
Seguridad
Nacional (DIS) -
Costa Rica's
secret service
and the Policía
de Control de
Drogas (PCD) -
drug enforcement
police -
following weeks
of
investigation.
Immigration
records show
that Ngoyi had
visited Costa
Rica on five
earlier
occasions, only
staying in Costa
Rica for several
hours each time,
before
departing, which
aroused the
interest of
Costa Rican
authorities.
Boraschi said
that the man
would arrive
late at night
and then leave
Costa Rica on
the first flight
out back to
Mexico.
Authorities have
no idea whom
Ngoyi met during
his short stays,
nor the content
of his suitcase.
On Friday the
DIS and PCD were
alerted on the
arrival of Ngoyi
and decided it
was time to
learn of the
reasons of his
trip and the
contents of his
luggage.
The man claimed
to be on
"official
consular"
busines, but
could not tell
Costa Rican
authorities the
details of his
diplomatic
mission,
explained the
Ministro de
Seguridad, José
María Tijerino
Boraschi at a
press
conference.
In addition, the
Secretaría de
Relaciones
Exteriores de
México, never
notified the
Costa Rican
government over
the arrival of
the "diplomat"
or that he would
be carrying a
"diplomatic"
case, which
notification of
local
authorities is
routine.
To avoid a
diplomatic
conflict, the
DIS and PCD co-ordinated
their operations
with the
Cancillería
(Foreign
Ministry) to
ensure that all
was according to
law.
"He arrived with
a diplomatic
case, but
without any
explanation or
justification",
said the
Ministro de
Seguridad.
When the
suitcase aas
opened, in the
presence of a
judge,
prosecutors and
officials of the
Cancillería,
they were all
surprised to
find the
us$2.990.000 in
cold hard US
dollars and
neatly packed.
Boraschi, during
the press
conference,
confirmed the
find but could
not say to what
end it would be
used, nor would
be speculate if
it was to be
used to buy
illicit drugs,
given the recent
rise of the drug
trade between
Costa Rica and
Mexico and the
recent arrest in
Costa Rica of
members of a
Mexican drug
cartel.
Ngoyi was
Congo's counsel
to Mexico
between August
2006 and October
2009, when
Mexican
authorities
decided no
longer to
endorse his
credentials.
Despite his loss
of status in
Mexico, Ngoyi
visited Costa
Rica on five
separate
occasions since
June 2009, most
of the time
entering with a
diplomatic
passport.
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