On Thursday, Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly unanimously approved Bill 24,682, with all 42 members voting in favor. The bill, proposed by legislator Katherine Moreira, toughens penalties in the Penal Code for receiving stolen goods valued at more than five times the base salary.
Under the new legislation, anyone found acquiring, receiving, or hiding high-value stolen property—without being involved in the original theft—could face between four and six years in prison.
The law keeps the existing penalties for lesser cases and adds harsher consequences for repeat offenders.
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Lawmakers say the change is a direct response to the growth of organized crime, especially thefts involving shipping containers. According to the Comisión de Asuntos Jurídicos (Legal Affairs Committee), professional fencing operations know exactly how to navigate logistics networks and avoid law enforcement.
The real issue, they argue, lies with those who order the thefts and then take possession of the goods. Because the current punishment ranges from six months to five years—or just a small fine—these crimes often don’t even end up on a person’s record.
During the bill’s review, it drew support from a wide range of organizations, including the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública, the Ministerio Público, Ministerio de Justicia, the UCCAEP, the Cámara de Transportistas Unitarios (Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Unitary Transporters’ Union (UCCAEP), and the Chamber of Unitary Transporters).
Supporters argued that tougher penalties would reclassify these offenses as serious crimes, enabling investigators to use special techniques and making it easier to dismantle receiving and smuggling networks.
“This bill is a critical step in combating organized crime, especially the networks behind container theft, large-scale robberies, and trafficking in stolen goods,” UCCAEP wrote in a statement. “These crimes severely disrupt the daily operations of companies here, particularly those in foreign trade, logistics, transportation, and goods distribution.”
The Ministerio Público (Public Prosecutor’s Office) added that the higher penalties would open the door to more severe sanctions and give prosecutors more tools to handle complicated cases.
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The Costa Rican Bar Association was the only group to object, saying the bill lacks strong technical backing. Still, the Legislative Commission did not hold public hearings and moved the bill forward unanimously on April 29.
The proposal now awaits a second vote and the president’s signature before it can become law and be published in the Official Gazette.
Background documents for the bill mention dozens of complaints in 2023 alone, with container and van thefts hitting goods like heavy metals, appliances, toilet paper, and liquor.
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Transparency Note: This news story was written with the help of artificial intelligence tools to process available information. The content is based on verifiable sources and has been reviewed for accuracy and clarity.
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