A joint counternarcotics operation led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) resulted in the seizure of approximately 2.6 tons of marijuana and the arrest of two suspects off Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, authorities said.

According to the Ministry of Public Security (MSP), the two-day operation began Tuesday after a USCG surveillance aircraft detected a suspicious 38-foot fishing boat equipped with two outboard motors about 52 nautical miles off Punta Burica Beach in southern Puntarenas Province.

The vessel had no visible registration numbers or national flag, officials said.

Using coordinates provided by U.S. authorities, the Costa Rican Coast Guard launched an operation to intercept the boat. After several hours of searching, officers located the vessel Wednesday.

Two suspects aboard the boat were arrested. Authorities identified them as Ecuadorian nationals with the last names Trejos-Domínguez and Flores-Bawi.

The Coast Guard towed the vessel to its station at Golfito Beach in Puntarenas, where Drug Control Police specialists conducted a detailed inspection.

Investigators found more than 2,600 packages of marijuana, each weighing approximately 1 kilogram, for a total of about 2.6 tons.

Authorities also seized the vessel, the drugs, fuel, documents, electronic navigation equipment and other devices as evidence.

The suspects remain in custody under the jurisdiction of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Puntarenas. Prosecutors are seeking pretrial detention as the two face charges of international drug trafficking.

Officials urged the public to report suspected drug-related activity through the confidential 10-digit hotline at 800-8000-645 or the rapid-response line at 1176. Both services are available in English and Spanish.

The operation was conducted under the Joint Maritime Patrol Treaty between Costa Rica and the United States, which allows the two countries to coordinate maritime counternarcotics operations.

The seizure comes as the United States continues to expand operations against transnational organized crime. Recently, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program announced rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial networks and funding mechanisms of drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

Another recent joint effort took place in September, when a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transported nearly 45 tons of drugs seized in Costa Rica this year to the United States for destruction.

In September 2026, the United States donated two interceptor boats and three all-terrain vehicles valued at $2.3 million to Costa Rica’s National Coast Guard Service. The vessels are intended to strengthen Costa Rica’s ability to monitor and respond to drug trafficking activities in national and international waters.

According to the U.S. Department of State, the United States works closely with a wide range of Costa Rican government agencies and nongovernmental organizations to help secure the country’s borders, professionalize its police forces, strengthen its judicial sector, improve its corrections system, and support at-risk youth and other vulnerable populations.

“The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) works closely with Costa Rican security partners to build capacity and assist disadvantaged communities,” the U.S. Department of State said on its website. “Through cooperation and assistance from INL and other law enforcement agencies, Costa Rica confronts its drug trafficking problem by intercepting and confiscating illicit drugs.”

Since 2018, the United States has provided more than $269 million in bilateral and regional security assistance to Costa Rica. The assistance includes equipment, training and technical expertise intended to strengthen law enforcement, combat organized crime and improve the justice system’s ability to prosecute transnational criminal organizations, U.S. authorities added.

The Ministry of Public Security is Costa Rica’s national agency responsible for public safety, maintaining public order and leading anti-crime operations.

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What additional support should the United States provide to Costa Rica in the fight against drug trafficking? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com

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