Costa Rican court jails 3 Colombians on suspicion of smuggling 54 US-bound Nepalese, Africans

Costa Rica jails 3 accused of migrant smuggling

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — A Costa Rican court has ordered three Colombians jailed for up to a year pending an investigation into charges they smuggled 54 U.S.-bound migrants from Africa and Nepal.

Authorities detained the migrants and the three Colombians after their boat arrived on the Costa Rican coast Saturday.

The court’s order Monday will keep the Colombians jailed while prosecutors build their case. Under Costa Rican law, suspects considered flight risks can be held in “preventive detention” for up to a year. Prosecutors can also seek extensions.

The migrants are being held at a detention center in San Jose, along with 41 other migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Guinea detained in June and July.