Mons L. Pisanello
Undercover agents in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, take down a dangerous gang for trafficking in an unspecified quantity of cholesterol and triglycerides. Authorities say they had been on the heels of the gang for some time, but their investigation was prolonged since the group operated mainly during the Christmas holiday season.
Authorities say the tamales were filled with cholesterol and triglycerides, which may have been brought in from Mexico, other Central American countries and even South America. The cholesterol and triglycerides Tamales in Costa Rica are typically eaten with Salsa Inglesa (English sauce), usually Salsa Lizano, a locally prepared Worcester kind of sauce.
Hampering investigators is that the Tamales had to be steamed for about 30 minutes, depending on their size, or until the masa becomes firm and the with cholesterol and triglycerides filling is heated through before they could be confirmed dangerous to the public.
Although the group moved from one country to another, there is no evidence that the trafficking went on across borders from Mexico to Central and South America.
The cholesterol and triglycerides were wrapped in plantain leaves.
Authorities say the acted in taking down this gang because it has been found that, though the body needs some cholesterol to work properly, if you have too much in your blood it can combine with other substances in the blood, while Triglycerides are the main constituents of body fat in humans, combined can be unhealthy.
