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To prevent arrest and detention, the officers told them, they could pay a fine of $600 to them on the spot, according to the OIJ.

The tourists told the officers they did not have that amount of money with them and the two officers allegedly drove them in a police car to Filadelfia, the area’s main city, about 10 kilometres away, to use a bank machine. The couple withdrew the cash and gave it to them.

“The officers told them that it was a crime in our country but it is false. In our country it is not necessary to carry the passport. We recommend that for the tourists’ security, but it’s not necessary,” said Marisel Rodrígues Solís, a spokeswoman for the OIJ.



Afterwards, feeling aggrieved, the tourists told a local tour guide what had happened and were informed that it was a scam. The payment was not a legitimate fine but a demand for a bribe. The tour guide encouraged the Canadians to file a complaint against the officers.

The OIJ investigated and identified the two officers. The policemen were arrested Nov. 29 when they came to the local OIJ headquarters on an official police errand.

The two male officers, aged 48 and 31, are charged with extortion.

The Canadians were not identified and the OIJ could not say what city or province they are from.

Costa Rica has long been seen as an area of relative security and stability in a region often associated with drug trafficking, corruption and crime, leading it to be nicknamed the “Switzerland of Central America.”