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Published Friday, January 29, 2021
U.S. Coast Guards help bust
another boat crew
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A judge of the Criminal Court of San José ordered three months of pre-trial prison to three Costa Rican men surnamed Varela-Espinoza, Reyes- Cortés and Martínez- Moreno, as being suspects of the crime of drug trafficking, announced the Prosecutor's Office against Drug Trafficking.
According to the Prosecutor, the case began on Jan. 23 when a U.S. Coast Guard plane was patrolling over the Pacific Coast and detected a ship crossing the Costa Rican maritime zone at a distance of 110 nautical miles from Quepos Beach in Puntarenas Provinces.
Responding to the call, officials of the National Coast Guard set about a boat chase. The pursuit started Saturday night ending Sunday morning when the officers managed to intercept the vessel and its crew.
The United States aircraft followed the boat by air, while the Coast Guard team tracked it across the sea, the Prosecutor said. "It is suspected that before their capture, the crew threw 1,581 packages of marijuana into the sea," the Prosecutor said in its report.
The drugs were also detected by the U.S. Coast Guard, who managed to seize and deliver it to the Costa Rican authorities as part of the evidence in the case.
During a more detailed inspection, the Drug Control Police determined that the bags contained 1,581 packages of marijuana weighing approximately one kilo each.
This is the third case made public by the Costa Rican authorities of the arrest of drug trafficking suspects with the help of U.S. officials.
On Jan. 11, during a special anti-drug operation, agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, supported agents of the Directorate of Intelligence and National Security of Costa Rica, DIS, in arresting four suspects for transporting cocaine.
DEA agents helped Costa Rican agents intercept a Costa Rican fishing boat on the Pacific Coast on suspicion of transporting a shipment of drugs.
During a routine check, the agents found 893 packages, weighing approximately one kilo each. The drugs were found hidden at the bottom of the ship. The boat and the drugs were seized by the National Coast Guard as part of the evidence in the case.
The crew, made up of four Tico men, were taken to the cells of the Public Ministry where they were interrogated by the judicial agents and a judge ordered pre-trial jail against them for suspicion of international drug trafficking.
Another case was reported on Jan. 5, Costa Rican Coast Guards were alerted by DEA agents about a boat that was cruising through the waters of the Pacific Coast detected as coming from South America.
Upon responding to the tip, the Coast Guards managed to intercept the ship around midnight when it had already entered the maritime zone of Costa Rica, 30 nautical miles from Cabo Blanco Beach in Puntarenas Province. This vessel was identified as a fishing boat with Costa Rican plates that read, Happy Happy 1.
In a routine inspection, the Coast Guard detected a shipment of several sacks containing packages of cocaine. The crew, made up of three Costa Ricans, two Ecuadorians, and one Guatemalan, was arrested. The boat and the cocaine cargo were seized as part of the evidence in the case.
In a more detailed inspection by officers of the Drug Control Police, they found 248 packages of approximately one kilo each of cocaine.
The six men were taken to the cells of the Public Ministry where a judge ordered six months of pre-trial measures against them for suspicion of international drug trafficking.
In 2020, the officers of the Drug Control Police arrested the members of 171 criminal gangs dedicated to drug trafficking, surpassing the number of 147 criminal gangs detained in 2019, according to data from the Ministry of Security.
The judicial agents of the Judicial Investigation Organization, ask for the people of Costa Rica to report any suspicion of drug sales or drug trafficking to the confidential line 800-8000-645, where bilingual agents can answer calls in the English or Spanish language.
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What else could the U.S. Coast Guards do to stop drug trafficking in Costa Rica? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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