How can this be?

how can a law-abiding British citizen vanish into thin air in a community like tamarindo, the size of a small village, and nobody knows anything? i just don't accept it. either the local police has done its job very badly, or worse.

Costa Rica the reality

Submitted by RicaCrime on Fri, 2010-10-08 20:40.

One reality about CR is missed by so many who travel there or who dream of doing so. CR has evolved into a major trans-shipment hub for cocaine over the last 20 years. (You have all 3 routes for the cocaine trafficers - Atlantic/Pacific and the overland routes into Mexico and ultimately the USA) During this period, some of the cocaine has been sold on a local level and worse - sold as crack cocaine for as little a 2 dollars per hit. this scurge has changed the landscape from San Jose to the smaller towns and more remote locations where petty crime and robbery are rampant. The number of foreigners robbed is under-reported and a serious problem - Michael's belongings (wallet/cell phone) were found in his room - If he was confronted by some crack-head thug and simply said " I don't have anything" or did not speak spanish - this could have been misunderstood as if he was resisting or saying No.
A simple scenario but one that is very common in CR.