MAD Max star Mel Gibson was put on kidnap alert yesterday over his new home in Costa Rica.
The actor plans to move his wife Robyn and their seven children to the £13million ranch 300 miles from the capital San Jose.
And he seems determined to ignore official US government warnings that the area is prime bandit country.
A State Department briefing claims all American visitors are “potential targets for criminals and kidnappers” and should never travel alone.
It adds: “Local law enforcement agencies have limited capabilities and do not operate according to US standards.”
And an American consular official said: “All US citizens should exercise extreme caution.”
But Mel, 51, has already upset locals. The previous owner employed 13 staff who rented houses on the estate. And they fear losing their jobs if he shuts down farming operations on the 402-acre spread.
Mel has already indicated he plans to use it for movie location shoots.
A business source close to the actor said: “Most locals are enthusiastic about their wealthy new neighbour but others are very worried about their livelihoods.
“He will need intense security for his family in an area where urban and tourist development is minimal and most of the inhabitants are poorly-paid farmers
“Unless they are closely guarded, Mel’s family could find themselves prime targets for bandits and thieves in an area where help will be a very long way away.”
Mel’s ranch spans a densely-wooded, mountainous area in Guanacaste province on Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast.
He has sold a Malibu property for £15million and has also put his estate in Mianus, Connecticut, on the market for £20million to help finance the deal.
But it is likely the biggest opposition to the Costa Rica move could be closer to home.
A friend of Mel’s said: “The area where he’s chosen to live is hundreds of miles from real civilisation.
“His wife Robyn is not, to put it mildly, as keen as he is on going there.”
She is still reeling after her husband was sentenced to three years’ probation for drink-driving after being pictured in a bar with two blondes.
A magazine quoted a source close to Mel as saying: “Robyn has endured one humiliation after another. But moving to Costa Rica may be the last straw. She wants no part of it.”
