Jacó, Costa Rica — site of the two-day infidelity surveillance operation documented in this case study.
Cody L. Gear and Associates was engaged to conduct Costa Rica infidelity surveillance on a subject suspected of extramarital conduct during repeated solo trips to Costa Rica. The client's spouse had grown increasingly suspicious — solo travel that happened too often, explanations that never quite added up. Our assignment was straightforward: monitor the subject's activities in Jacó and return with documented findings the client could act on, one way or the other.
What follows is the operational summary, field findings, and evidence package delivered upon case completion.
Operation Overview
Jacó is a Pacific coast town I have worked in more times than I can count — a stretch of beach hotels, open-air bars, and street-level activity that makes surveillance both productive and technically demanding. The town has a rhythm to it, a predictable geography of where people go and when, and after 27 years of operations in Costa Rica, my team knows that geography the way a local knows their own neighborhood. That familiarity is an operational advantage no visiting or remote investigator can approximate.
With a holiday weekend providing the operational window, we developed a two-day surveillance plan centered on the subject's hotel and the surrounding corridor. Pre-surveillance planning — carried out in coordination with our network partners at Privin Network — identified the most likely areas of activity and established egress routes before the subject landed. The subject and his traveling companions were picked up on exit from Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José and followed south to their hotel in Jacó. Mobile vantage points and high-zoom cameras were established across public-access areas throughout the operation — close enough to document clearly, far enough that nothing about our presence registered.
"Jacó has a specific geography and a specific pattern of activity. We know where people go, how they move, and where documentation is clean. That's not something you read about — it's something you accumulate across years of working the same streets."
Surveillance Log — Field Summary
Full-day surveillance from hotel departure through late evening activity. The subject moved through several locations in Jacó's central corridor. Over 47 minutes of continuous video footage was captured across multiple documented locations, supplemented by a complete indexed photographic record — every frame timestamped, every location anchored.
The subject remained closer to the hotel on Day Two, with limited outdoor movement recorded. Interaction with visitors to the accommodation was documented. The primary evidentiary weight of this case rests on Day One — those findings were conclusive on their own.
Key Findings
Day One produced what the client had suspected but needed confirmed. The subject was observed socializing with multiple individuals identified as sex workers at known sex-tourism locations in the Jacó corridor — not passing contact, but extended interaction across several hours and several locations. Walking together, sitting together, sustained presence at establishments that exist specifically for that purpose. All of it documented through timestamped video and still photography, with clear identification of the subject maintained throughout.
The findings aligned directly with the behavioral pattern the client had described. There was nothing ambiguous in the record.
Evidence Delivered
At the conclusion of the operation, the client received a complete evidence package prepared to the standards I apply to every case — formatted for direct use by legal counsel if the situation proceeds to formal proceedings, or for personal use if the client's decision remains private.
Every case report I produce is built on the same principle: the client should be able to hand this document to an attorney, a mediator, or a judge and have it stand on its own. That standard shapes how we document, how we log, and how we present findings — from the first frame of footage to the last line of the field report.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Costa Rica infidelity surveillance?
It is a focused investigation conducted by a Costa Rica private investigator to confirm or refute suspicions of extramarital conduct. The work happens in public spaces — hotels, restaurants, streets, shorelines — using observation and documentation techniques that are discreet, professional, and legally sound. The client receives a complete record of what was found, presented in a format they can actually use.
Is infidelity surveillance legal in Costa Rica?
Yes — when conducted from public-access locations by a qualified investigator. Evidence gathered in public spaces in Costa Rica is admissible in legal proceedings and fully consistent with Costa Rican law. Every operation we run stays within those parameters. I have been doing this for 27 years here and I know precisely where the legal lines are.
Can surveillance confirm behavior during a holiday or vacation trip?
It is often the most productive window we have. People on holiday relax their guard — they move more freely, they are less attentive to who might be watching, and the activity that concerns a spouse tends to happen in exactly the kind of public spaces where we can document it clearly. This case is a direct example of that dynamic.
How is evidence delivered to the client?
Clients receive a complete case report: edited and raw video footage, an indexed image gallery, and detailed field logs with timestamped location data. Everything is organized so it can go directly to legal counsel if the client's situation proceeds to formal proceedings — divorce, custody, civil litigation, or any other context where the documented record needs to hold up under scrutiny.
How quickly can a surveillance operation be deployed in Costa Rica?
For cases with advance notice, we build a full operational plan before the subject arrives in-country. For time-sensitive situations — a spouse already in Costa Rica, a departure imminent — same-day or next-day mobilization is sometimes possible depending on location and current caseload. Earlier notice produces better preparation and better results. That is simply the nature of field operations.
Case documented by Cody L. Gear, CFE · Jacó, Costa Rica · May 2025 · Updated April 2026. All identifying details have been modified to protect client confidentiality.
