American Expatriate Costa Rica

Advanced technological controls responsible for catching narco-bankers

In this room the BCR, in San José, researchers analyzed the movements of customers and employees of the various sites, as well as transactions that are performed. Given alerts, notified the authorities. | ALBERT MARIN.


Arrests of two bank tellers, charged with laundering ¢96 million ($194,726) in drug money are being credited to an advanced monitoring system, setup by the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR). The system uses real-time, high resolution cameras, which are linked to computers that monitor bank transactions.

The bank tellers were caught making small deposits into narco accounts (smurfing) while other customers were waiting at their windows. Once the bank detected the activity, judicial authorities asked that the suspects be allowed to continue money laundering, so that cameras could collect more evidence.

Original Article in Diario Extra