  In response to the alert provided by DEA, Costa Rican coast guard officers managed to intercept the two-engine boat, with no identification plate or a flag identifying its country. - Ministry of Security photo - |
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 Published Thursday, December 17, 2020 DEA
supports drug trafficking
suspects arrest By the A.M. Costa Rica staff In an anti-drug operation, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, supported the National Coast Guard Service, for the arrest of three Colombian men, as suspects of international drug trafficking. According to the report from the Ministry of Security, the operation began on Tuesday, when a U.S. Coast Guard plane detected a ship that was crossing Costa Rican waters at a distance of 200 kilometers from Quepos Beach in Puntarenas Province. In response to the alert provided by DEA, Costa Rican coast guard officers managed to intercept the two-engine boat, with no identification plate or a flag identifying its country. In an inspection of the shipment, the officers found several large containers containing drugs, so the crew composed of three men surnamed Mosquera-Angúlo, 21; Vallecilla-Garces, 23 and Ruíz- Mojarrango, 38, were arrested.  The ship was towed to the Quepos Beach Dock, where agents of the Drug Control Police made a more detailed inspection of the cargo, confirming that it contained 302 kilograms of cocaine. The three men were taken to the cells of the Public Ministry where they were interrogated by the judicial agents and after that, they must wait until a judge orders the pre-trial measures against them for suspicion of international drug trafficking. This is the third case in one week of a random crew detained by the U.S. Coast Guard officers suspected of drug trafficking.  On Monday, a judge ordered six months in pre-trial prison to three men detained by the U.S. Coast Guard officers who are suspected of international drug trafficking. According to the ministry, the case began on Saturday when U.S. Coast Guard officers were patrolling the waters of the Caribbean Sea and spotted a gray speedboat with two 150-horsepower engines crossing at seven nautical miles off the coast of Parismina Beach. The U.S. officers intercepted the speedboat and found suspicious cargo. The crew made up of two Colombian men surnamed González-Bobadilla, Levenson-Henri and a Honduran man surnamed Posada-Rodríguez were detained. The U.S. Coast Guard handed over the suspects, the boat and the seized cargo to officers of the Costa Rican Drug Control Police at Portete Port in Limón Province. After a more detailed inspection of the shipment, the agents of the Drug Control Police determined that it was 234 packages of cocaine, weighing approximately one kilogram each. Another case also happened on Saturday when the National Aeronaval Service of Panama detected and chased a speeding boat crossing the Caribbean Sea.  The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the boat at 8 nautical miles from Westfalia Beach in Limón. It was a blue-gray speedboat with three 300 horsepower engines, no name, no license plate, no flag. The U.S. officers coordinated with the Costa Rican Coast Guard to detain the crew of five men, all of Colombian nationality, surnamed Toro-Upegui, Serrano-Silgade, Santize-Delgado, Padilla-Moreno, and Pineda-Hernández. The suspects and boat were transported to the Portete Port, where officers from the Drug Control Police inspected the shipment, which consisted of 2,557 cocaine packages weighing approximately one kilogram each. On Monday, a judge ordered six months of pre-trial prison against the five foreign-born men as suspects of international drug trafficking. According to statistics from the Ministry of Security, this year 48,101 kilograms of cocaine and 12,483 kilograms of marijuana have been seized. This is a result of the Joint Patrol Agreement between Costa Rica and the United States. The judicial agents ask for people to report any suspicion of drug sales, transportation or money laundering to the confidential line 800-8000-645, where there are bilingual agents who can answer calls in English or Spanish. -------------------- What else should authorities do to end drug trafficking? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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