From: The Costa Rica Star
By Jaime Lopez
Three delivery and distribution workers from the British American Tobacco Group in Costa Rica were rescued by law enforcement officers after being taken hostage by two suspects, one of them armed with a pellet gun. According to metro reporter Alejandro Fonseca of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the incident occurred near the dairy farming community of Coronado, located in the outskirts of the capital city of Costa Rica.
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Ever since the Tobacco Control Law was passed in Costa Rica a few years ago, cigarette smuggling and theft of tobacco products have dramatically increased in our country, and some legal analysts are concerned that this rising black market may attract undue violence. Certain provisions of the Tobacco Control Law impose a much higher sales tax on tobacco products, and they also ban the sale of single cigarettes or of packs that contain less than 20 units.
