Worldwide, the estimated amount of laundered money entering economies is believed to be around 2% of global gross product for the 90s.

The Government of Costa Rica has taken into consideration the serious damage resulting from money laundering both in the country and in the rest of the world, as well as the need to protect our systems from this endemic type of crime. Thus, it has declared the adoption of measures to prevent, control, investigate, avoid, or suppress all money laundering activities as a public interest issue.

Thus, in 1988 it enacted legislation (Law # 7786 Ley sobre estupefacientes, sustancias psicotrópicas, drogas de uso no autorizado y actividades conexas) and in 2001 it amended this law to make room for Law # 8204 entitled Ley sobre estupefacientes, sustancias psicotrópicas, drogas de uso no autorizado, legitimación de capitales y actividades conexas. This latter law is aimed at regulating and prevent, supply, trade, and commercialization of stupefacient, psychotropic, inhalable substances, and other drugs. It also aims at regulating and penalizing financial activities to prevent penetration from capital resulting from serious crime as well as all procedures that can serve as means to legitimate those moneys.

Article four of Law # 8204 commands ”every one to cooperate in preventing and suppressing crime and illicit consumption of drugs and all other substances forbidden in this law, as well as crime related to legitimation of capital resulting from serious crime...” .