A Bulgarian citizen identified by the last name Hristosov, 42, accused of laundering more than $500,000, was arrested Monday in his home in the western San José suburb of Escazú, according to a statement released yesterday by the Judicial Branch.

Hristov allegedly used at least eight fake passports of different nationalities to carry out 642 transactions in banks and money transfer agencies between September 2005 and September 2006, the statement said. Police suspect he received money from several U.S. cities and European countries.

The money laundering unit of the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ), together with the Costa Rican Drug Control Institute had been investigating Hristov for several months, the statement said. Police raided his Escazú home and seized hundreds of fake passports, stamps used to falsify passports, falsified legal and financial documents and a “luxury vehicle,” the statement said. Hristov is charged with money laundering, false representation and using falsified documents.

-Tico Times