The judicial and police authorities dealt with two cases of damage to flora and fauna in the canton of Guatuso. Four people were arrested and another one was convicted of the crime of draining wetlands.
The most recent case occurred in Caño Negro Wildlife Reserve. On the site, the police arrested four subjects tried to flee with a large number of fish that are banned.
Costa Ricans Villalobos, Méndez and Guerra and a Nicaraguan named Sevilla used a boat with an outboard motor in a sector of the Caño Blanco lagoon, where serious damage has been done by poachers and illegal fishermen.
The Public Force of the place corroborated that the four detainees had stolen fish of all kinds. The case was referred to the Prosecutor’s Office.
In addition, a man named Villalobos Vega was sentenced to one year in prison and to the payment of ¢3,800,000 for the crime of draining wetlands and wildlife conservation infraction for drying the plot and trying to introduce livestock. The Public Prosecutor’s Office succeeded in ordering the defendant to execute a restitution of the affected area and to restore it to its natural state.
The Criminal Court of the area offered him the benefit of conditional execution of the sentence; that is, he will not go to prison. However, if he fails to comply, the benefit will be revoked and he can go to jail.