The authorities of Costa Rica Five people were arrested this Friday Colombians that were transporting 590 kilos of cocaine on a speedboat in Caribbean waters, the Ministry of Public Security (MSP) reported.
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The Costa Rican National Coast Guard Service intercepted the boat about 148 kilometers from the coast of Puerto Limon (Caribbean) in the framework of an operation that included the collaboration of a United States aircraft that participates in joint surveillance tasks in the oceans.
On the 40-foot-long vessel, with no registration, name or flag, officers found 590 packages of cocaine weighing approximately one kilo each, the MSP said in a statement.
The officers arrested five Colombians who were crewing the ship with the surnames Berrios, Faicuare, Lara, Torres and Pachecowho were placed at the orders of the judicial authorities to face charges for international drug trafficking, crime that in Costa Rica is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison.
This is the second seizure of cocaine in the oceans so far in August in Costa Rica, since on August 12 the authorities intercepted a semi-submersible that was transporting 2.2 tons of cocaine and was manned by two Colombians and an Ecuadorian, who were arrested.
So far in 2024, Costa Rican authorities have seized nearly 8 tons of cocaine.
Drug trafficking has become the main security problem in Costa Rica, a country that currently registers historic figures of homicides that are attributed by the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ), in more than 60% to the settling of scores between drug trafficking gangs.
As of August 22, OIJ data indicate that 560 homicides have occurred in Costa Rica during 2024, 14 fewer than the 574 that were recorded on the same date in 2023.
2023 was the year with the most homicides in the history of Costa Rica, with a total of 907, which represented an increase of 38.6% compared to the 654 in 2022.
EFE
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