Costa Rica has been ranked among the top three countries in Central America with the highest cocaine seizures, according to a new report by InSight Crime, a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit organization that monitors organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean.




The report lists Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras as the region’s leaders in cocaine seizures for 2024.


The Ministry of Public Security (MSP) said the findings recognize the country’s ongoing efforts to combat international drug trafficking through close collaboration with U.S. and regional partners.


“Costa Rica maintains the U.S. government’s certification as a country that actively combats drug trafficking, confirming its status as a reliable partner in the regional fight against narcotics,” the ministry stated. “This certification was reaffirmed in the most recent Presidential Determination on Major Transit Countries for Fiscal Year 2026, issued on September 15, 2025, by the U.S. Department of State.”


The report noted that while record-breaking cocaine seizures have become increasingly common worldwide, they represent only a fraction of the trade. “These multi-ton interdictions likely made only a small dent in what has become one of the most lucrative and violent industries for Latin American organized crime,” the report said.


Panama topped the list, with authorities seizing 99.3 tons of cocaine in 2024, up slightly from 95.7 tons in 2023. Most seizures occurred in port cities, where local gangs compete for control over access points and drug distribution.


The Panama Canal, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, remains a strategic corridor for traffickers. However, the report noted that heightened surveillance in the area has pushed many criminal groups to seek alternate routes through neighboring countries.


Costa Rica ranked second, seizing 27 tons of cocaine in 2024, up 5.6 tons from the 21.4 tons reported in 2023. The increase coincides with the launch of Operation Caribe, a government initiative aimed at reducing crime in Limón, a long-standing drug trafficking hub on the Caribbean coast.

InSight Crime reported that as law enforcement intensified efforts in Limón, trafficking groups appeared to shift operations to Puntarenas, on the Pacific coast.

“This may explain why Puntarenas became a focal point for cocaine seizures in December 2024, as traffickers sought to evade interdiction efforts in the Caribbean,” the report said.

One of the most recent busts occurred in September 2025, when a joint operation led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intercepted more than 2.5 tons of cocaine off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.

Honduras placed third, though official figures vary across agencies. The Security Secretariat reported seizing 26 tons of cocaine in 2024, while the Defense Secretariat listed 23.2 tons, and the National Police reported only 6 tons in response to a public information request.

Despite the discrepancies, InSight Crime said available data suggest Honduras is once again becoming a significant transit point for international cocaine shipments.

Cooperation with the United States, including the resumption of radar intelligence sharing in 2023, is seen as a key factor behind the country’s surge in drug seizures, which jumped from 6.5 tons in 2023 to 26 tons in 2024, a 300% increase.

In Latin America overall, Colombia remains the largest source of cocaine seizures, with 279.7 tons confiscated in 2024, both on land and in international waters. That figure represents an 11.2% decrease compared to the 335.4 tons seized in 2023.

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