Costa Rica and Spain police detain 12 people involved in the kidnapping of an American businessman after his family paid $950,800 in bitcoin for his return
- William Sean ‘Tony’ Creighton, a 43-year-old American businessman, was kidnapped in Costa Rica on Sept. 24, 2018
- Costa Rican authorities say that the victim is still missing
- The three people arrested in Zaragoza, Spain, are considered by police to be the ringleaders
- They fled Costa Rica after the victim’s family paid the ransom, spending some time in Cuba before traveling to Spain
- Costa Rican police arrested another nine individuals
William Sean ‘Tony’ Creighton Kopko, a 43-year-old American businessman, was kidnapped in Costa Rica on September 24, 2018
Police in Costa Rica and Spain say they have arrested 12 people alleged to have been involved in the kidnapping of a missing American in Costa Rica.
Police from both countries say that the joint operation led to the arrests of the Costa Rican suspects on Friday.
William Sean ‘Tony’ Creighton Kopko, a 43-year-old American businessman, was kidnapped in Costa Rica on September 24, 2018. Costa Rican authorities say that the victim is still missing.
Tony’s Porsche Cayenne was found in Heredia. It had been crashed.
‘On the day of the events, the accused followed him during the night to Granadilla de Curridabat, where, with the presumed collaboration of the two Transit officials, they allegedly boarded the businessman when he was traveling in his car and, subsequently, he was taken to the site of captivity,’ the Public Ministry said in a press release.
Tony’s Porsche Cayenne was found in Heredia. It had been crashed
Police say that the victim’s family paid the kidnappers $950,800 in bitcoins.
‘His family received extortion calls and made a significant payment to secure his release; however, since September 24 it is not known where it is,’ Walter Espinoza Espinoza, director of the Judicial Police, said to La Nacion.
‘The payment in virtual money gave us access to a wallet, the IP (unique identifier of the equipment) was tracked and the location of this was specified (…).’
Police say that the victim’s family paid the kidnappers $950,800 in bitcoins. They used the payment to track down the location of the suspects
Tony owned 5Dimes, a Costa Rica based company that specializes in online gambling
The three people arrested in Zaragoza, Spain, are considered by police to be the ringleaders. They fled Costa Rica after the victim’s family paid the ransom, spending some time in Cuba before traveling to Spain.
Costa Rican police arrested another nine individuals. Included in the tally were the grandmother and uncle of the group’s leader.
All of the suspects are said to be Costa Rican.
Tony owned 5Dimes, a Costa Rica based company that specializes in online gambling, according to Calvin Ayre.