Costa Rica Officials Arrested for Child Trafficking

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — In a shocking development, five officials from Costa Rica's child welfare agency have been arrested on charges of trafficking migrant children for adoption purposes. The arrests were announced by Randall Zúñiga, head of the Judicial Investigation Agency, who revealed that the investigation was initiated in 2022 after irregularities in adoptions were reported by the agency's former president. The arrested individuals, who include lawyers and social workers, are accused of fabricating reports to justify the removal of children from their families. Zúñiga stated that some reports falsely claimed that families were involved in drug use, which served as a pretext for placing the children in state care. Once the children were in the system, the officials allegedly sought to adopt them or become their temporary caretakers, receiving government payments in the process. Authorities have not disclosed the number of children affected by this scheme or their current whereabouts, nor have they specified the countries of origin for the migrant children involved. The prosecutor's office specializing in human trafficking and migrant smuggling has taken steps to prevent the arrested officials from leaving the country. In addition to the five arrests, Costa Rican authorities have issued an international arrest alert for a sixth official believed to be connected to the case, highlighting the seriousness of the allegations and the ongoing investigation into child trafficking within the welfare system.