Costa Rican authorities dealt three tough blows to narcotrafficking, with the seizures of 915 kilograms of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean and 1,474 kg of marijuana coming from Mexico.
The cocaine seizure took place on July 31. The Costa Rican Coast Guard detected a suspicious vessel in the country’s south Pacific. After a brief chase, authorities detained the speedboat with four crew members on board, and seized 415 kg of cocaine.
Two hours later, in the same area, another Coast Guard vessel detected a second speedboat attempting to bypass the Costa Rican maritime security shield. Upon intercepting the suspicious boat with two alleged criminals on board, authorities found 500 kg of cocaine. A U.S. aircraft provided support to both operations by sharing intelligence with Costa Rican authorities from international waters.
“What’s most important about drug seizures are the lives that are spared, either due to drug consumption or because of bloodshed due to drug-related violence,” Costa Rican Minister of Public Security Michael Soto told the press. “Even when the circumstances have been difficult due to the pandemic, as we have to work on other types of activities, the truth is that the seizures have not stopped; they’ve been efficient.”
Mexican marijuana
On August 3, Costa Rican Narcotics Police agents seized a 1,474 kg shipment of marijuana coming from Mexico. Agents found the drug hidden in tile boxes coming from Hidalgo state, Mexico. Authorities detained the truck driver who transported the drug.
“It’s the first time that a shipment of marijuana from Mexico has been seized in Costa Rica and that transported ceramics as a legal cargo,” a spokesperson for the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security’s Narcotics Police told the Mexican newspaper El Universal.