- Published: Monday, February 3, 2020-




By the A.M. Costa Rica staff and wire services

A Costa Rican surnamed Centeno-Arriola plead guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, U. S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced Friday.

According to information provided in court and in court documents, last Oct. 18 the defendant was on board a go-fast style vessel that was intercepted by a U. S. Coast Guard cutter while on routine patrol.

Crew members first sighted the go-fast vessel in international waters at approximately 45 nautical miles north of Malpelo Island, Colombia, according to a summary of the court action.

The vessel did not have any display indicating its nationality, and the defendant, the captain of the vessel, told members of the Coast Guard boarding team that the vessel was without nationality.

Twenty-one bales of marijuana, consisting of approximately 593 kilograms, were located onboard the vessel and seized, said the report from the U.S. attorney, who is in the District of Virgin Islands.

The defendant confessed to his involvement and told agents that he was hired as a boat captain to transport the marijuana from Colombia to Costa Rica, the report said.

“He stated that he was to be paid a total of $60,000 for his work,“ said the U.S. Attorneys in the statement.

The defendant will be sentenced at a later date.

This case is being investigated by the U. S. Coast Guard and the Virgin Islands Drug Enforcement Agency.


Another recent detention of alleged narcos was made by Costa Rican authorities with the support of the U.S. Coast Guard was on Jan. 20, when crew members stopped a ship that officials said was carrying 502 kilos of cocaine.

According to the Ministry of Security, the operation was carried out by the coast guards of both countries 118 nautical miles off the coast of Golfito in Puntarenas Province. A ship bearing the name Choerna was detected.

The Coast Guard detained the crew, two Colombian men, surnamed Rosero-Cáceres and Hurtado-Cáceres, and an Ecuadorian man surnamed Bravo-Mina. The ship carried a registration plate CP-01 but was without a flag of the country of origin.

The ship was brought to the port in Golfito where the Drug Control Police led a search of the ship's cargo, finding several containers with fuel, and 502 packages with cocaine, approximately one kilo each, "which were placed inside cells inside the ship structure," said the ministry.

A judge of the Criminal Court of Golfito ordered six months of pre-trial detention against the three foreigners, as suspects of international drug traffic.





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