The two
Liberator ships, worth
$1.5 million, were donated
in November 2018 by the
Bureau of International
Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs (INL).
/
U.S. Embassy courtesy
photo |
Six-plus tons of cocaine
seized by
two Liberator ships donated by
the U.S.
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
The U.S. Embassy reports that
after four month of work the two
Liberator ships, donated by the
U.S. government to the National
Coast Guard Service, they have
seized more than 6 tons of
cocaine.
The two Liberator ships, worth
$1.5 million, were donated in
November 2018 by the Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs (INL).
Christopher Harris, Director of
the Bureau of International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs in Costa Rica, said,
"Costa Rica is one of the most
agile allies in the maritime
zone of the region and for this
reason the donation of these two
intercepting boats is a
reflection of the success of the
National Coast Guard Service of
Costa Rica and its excellent
results."
The boats are 38 feet in length,
with three 300 horsepower
outboard engines, navigation and
communications equipment,
intercom system, towing
capacity, radars, air
conditioning, and hydraulic
seats.
In other recent cases
involving the Coast Guard,
as A.M. Costa Rica reported on
March 18th, the U.S. Coast Guard
helped to Costa Rican Coast
Guard in the capture of three
drug trafficking suspects.
An unregistered speedboat named
‘The Blessing,’ said the police
report, carrying a crew of three
“was intercepted at 6:20 am. The
speedboat was 27 nautical miles,
approximately 50 kilometers,
from the coast of Limón*."
The police detained three crew
of Colombian nationality
surnamed Hernández, Avendaño,
and Brown.
The police also confiscated the
boat and the drug shipment of
"600 packages with cocaine
weighing approximately one
kilogram each, in addition to 28
packages with marijuana weighing
approximately 500 grams each."
Agents of the Judicial
Investigation Organization
transferred the three suspects
to cells of the Public Ministry,
where the judge sentenced to six
months pre-trial jail as a
precautionary measure against
them.
Another operation of Costa Rican
Coast Guard was on March 6, when
an alert was sent from a U.S.
ship to the national authorities
regarding a speedboat near the
coast of Golfito*
and the border with Panama.
According to police, when the
coastguard responded and
approached the boat for a
routine review, the suspects
fled at high speed.
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"The
coastguard
followed for a
distance of 182
kilometers, from
the coast in
Golfito, near
the maritime
border with
Panama, to
Escondida Beach
in Quepos in
Puntarenas,"
said police
report.
That required
the cooperation
of two boats and
a maritime
patrol plane.
When the
speedboat was
being hit by the
coastguard, the
suspects threw
48 bags and
several small
packages into
the sea in order
to distract the
police and
escape.
The packages
were found to
contain 1,461
kilograms of
cocaine. Also
confiscated were
1,440,000
Colombian pesos
(about $464), 14
fuel cannons,
seven full and
seven empty,
plus two 250 hp.
boat engines.
When the
speedboat
reached the
shore of
Escondida Beach,
the police
detained the
crew of three
men, all of the
Colombian
nationality,
surnamed
Castillo,
Coarse, and
Rentería. The
speedboat, which
had no
identification
or registration,
was confiscated.
The three
suspects were
sentenced to six
months of
pre-trial jail
as a
precautionary
measure.
Another case was
registered on
March 1st,
when the U.S.
Coast Guard
alerted the
National Coast
Guard Service
about a
speedboat that
was traveling
near Cape Mata
Palo neat to
Osa. When the
officers
detected the
speedboat, it
was 68
kilometers from
the coast near Cape Mata Palo*.
The crew,
realizing they
were going to be
detained, threw
49 packages into
the ocean and
tried to escape.
The packages
were collected
and reviewed by
the agents of
the Drug Control
Police, who
confirmed they
contained 1,230
kilograms of
cocaine.
The drug was
distributed in
1,200
rectangular
packages, each
one of a
kilogram of
cocaine, plus 60
packages of the
shape of a shoe
sole, each with
a weight of 500
grams of the
drug.
The police could
not capture the
speedboat crew
but they did
recover the
cocaine and took
it to the Public
Ministry where
it will be
stored until its
destruction can
be authorized.
---------------
What
are your thought
on the best way
to interdict
drug
traffickers? We
would like to
know your
thoughts on this
story. Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
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