Author: allthingspanama.net

Elías Alberto Quirós Benavides, a 53-year-old resident of Grecia, Costa Rica, faces serious allegations from the United States for his alleged role in the Sinaloa Cartel and Beltrán Leyva group’s financial operations. U.S. authorities accuse him of leading a sophisticated cryptocurrency-based money laundering network, transferring cartel funds internationally without using regulated banking systems. The U.S. …

Read more “Costa Rican Linked to Cartel Faces U.S. Money Laundering Charges”

Here is some news that you might find interesting if you’re thinking of coming here later this year. You’ll need to act right away so we wanted to make sure you know about it. Alaska Airlines has rolled out a new deal, knocking 25% off flights to Costa Rica’s San José (SJO) and Liberia (LIR) …

Read more “Alaska Airlines Offers 25% Off Flights to Costa Rica”

Costa Rica is taking bold steps to protect its vital bee populations with the launch of the Bee Lab, a beekeeping laboratory in Naranjo aimed at safeguarding over one million bees and enhancing agricultural productivity. By integrating advanced technology and regenerative practices, the initiative promises to increase coffee and citrus crop yields by up to …

Read more “Costa Rica’s Bee Lab Saves Bees, Boosts Coffee Yields”

In Costa Rica, the dream of owning a home remains out of reach for many, as high rental costs and budget cuts to housing subsidies deepen our country’s housing crisis. The Ombudsman’s Office reports that families in poverty face significant barriers to accessing decent housing, with rising rents consuming a large portion of their income, …

Read more “Costa Rica’s Housing Crisis Persists Amid High Rents and Subsidy Cuts”

One of the first places I lived in Costa Rica was a small town in the Southern Zone. My son had been born just a month earlier in San José, and his mother and I had already grown tired of city life. Although we had steady work—I taught English and she worked in international development—we …

Read more “Costa Rica Expat Tells Tale of a Rogue Traveling Preacher”

Costa Rica’s tourism industry is sounding the alarm as visitor numbers keep sliding, even with a small uptick in April. The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) reported 231,678 travelers arrived by air in April 2025, a 4.6% jump from last year’s 221,573. But folks in the business say this bump, tied to Easter Week’s timing, …

Read more “Costa Rica’s Tourism Struggles Despite April Rebound”

A new trend is catching on among bored young male capuchins: kidnapping baby howler monkeys, in what scientists say is the first time animals have been recorded stealing another species’ infants for no apparent reason. PhD student Zoe Goldsborough first noticed something wrong in 2022 while sifting through footage captured by motion-triggered cameras on Jicaron, …

Read more “Young Capuchins Kidnap Baby Howler Monkeys in Panama, Study Finds”

The 2025 American Beach Sprint Championship of Coastal Rowing will be held from May 24 to 25 at the Punta Leona Beach Club & Nature Resort in Playa Mantas, Garabito canton. Delegations from Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, Canada, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, the United States, and Costa Rica will vie for honors in this …

Read more “International Rowing Championship in Costa Rica”

Costa Rica has launched urgent negotiations with the United States to overturn a 10% tariff on its exports, imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration in April. The tariff, part of a broader U.S. trade policy, has spurred Costa Rica to act swiftly, making it one of the first Latin American nations to hold formal talks …

Read more “Costa Rica Presses U.S. to Lift 10% Export Tariff in High-Stakes Talks”

Prison guards at Pococí Penitentiary in Costa Rica intercepted an unlikely smuggler: a black-and-white cat carrying drugs taped to its body. The incident, which has sparked global attention, highlights the persistent challenge of contraband in the nation’s prisons amid rising organized crime. According to a Facebook statement from Costa Rica’s Ministry of Justice, officers spotted …

Read more “Watch Cat Caught Smuggling Drugs into Costa Rica’s Pococí Penitentiary”