Weekly Report - 13 March 2008 (ISSN 1741-7422)

COSTA RICA | Tough on crime. The government sent congress a package of reforms on 11 March to combat the increased threat of organised crime. It appears to be responding to a report produced earlier this year by a Costa Rican research company, Demoscopia, which claimed to have uncovered evidence that mara gangs are beginning to penetrate into Costa Rica and set up cross-border networks [WR-08-05]. The proposed reforms include tightening up migratory law so that foreigners who commit crimes can be expelled from the country; classifying people trafficking as a crime; and changing the penal code to provide better protection for victims of violent crime and severe penalties for arms possession.