By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The officers of the twon of Orotina* station in the
southeast of Alajuela province arrested two Costa
Rican men surnamed Dupree and Jiménez, suspected
of hiding $27,000 and a shipment of marijuana buds
known as "cripy" in a secret compartment in one of
the men’s car.
"In a routine patrol in the Coyolar area, at 10
p.m., the officers signaled the driver of a
Mitsubishi Montero car to be parked," said the
police in their report. "When they checked the
car, they found marijuana packed, five doses of
marijuana oil, 18 cripy buds and $27,000 in cash
plus ₡700,000 colones (about $1,174) in cash."
The officers detained the suspects on charges of
transporting illegal drugs and possible money
laundering.
The two men were taken to the cells of the Public
Ministry where they were interviewed by the agents
of the Judicial Investigation Organization. The
vehicle, money, and drugs were confiscated as part
of the evidence against the two suspects.
The Prosecutor's Office will request that
pre-trial measures be imposed against the two men
suspected of money laundering and drug
trafficking.
In relation to the most recent seizure of
marijuana, as A.M. Costa Rica reported on
Wednesday, the Drug Control Police officers have
discovered 32 marijuana plantations covering
14,455 square meters, in which they found and
destroyed 201,732 plants of marijuana in Talamanca Mountains*.
"In Costa Rica, the discovery of marijuana
plantations and preventing the drug from being
trafficked is part of the actions carried out by
the police against drug trafficking," said the
police in their report.
The Border Police, the Air Surveillance Service,
the Special Police Unit, and the Police
Intervention Unit cooperated in this special
operation.
According to statistics, in 2018, 1,346,308
marijuana plants located on 194 plantations in
different parts of the country were destroyed.
During this year, 765,652 marijuana plants have
already been destroyed.
Another case was reported on May 6, when police
arrested man with 1,000 marijuana plants in his
home.
In that case, agents of the Judicial Investigation
Organization of the town of Corridors, in Ciudad-Neily* in a
coordinated operation with the border police,
detained a man surnamed Lopez, age 52, for having
grown more than a thousand plants of marijuana on
his property.
According to the police report, after an
investigation that lasted more than a month, they
took a final five-hour hike through mountain
forest to reach the site where the marijuana was
being cultivated.
"In the operation, we seized marijuana plants and
tools that were apparently used in the fields,"
said police in their report.
The plants were destroyed by the police and the
suspect was sent to the cells of the Public
Ministry.
Agents of the Judicial Investigation Organization
said the investigation continues in the area since
they think that more people could have been
involved in this case.
The sowing and harvesting in large quantity, the
distribution, and the sale of marijuana or derived
products are all illegal in Costa Rica.
However, the consumption of marijuana in personal
doses is not prohibited. In August 2018, the
Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court ruled
that the planting of marijuana and the personal
use of marijuana, both in small quantities, do not
constitute a risk to public health.
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What should the government do to reduce marijuana
traffic? We would like to know
your thoughts on this story. Send your comments
to: news@amcostarica.com
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