Over 2,000 firearms (including pistols, revolvers, and rifles) were destroyed at the National Armory located in Coronado Canton in San José.

The event was part of the activities commemorating the 75th anniversary of the abolition of the army in Costa Rica, which included the attendance of Mario Zamora, Minister of Public Security and Steven Griner, head of the Organization of American States (OAS) Department of Public Security, among other authorities.

"Firearms are used by drug traffickers to carry out their crimes," stated Mario Zamora, Minister of Public Security. "Today we send a clear message to the country that we are focused on fighting crime."

According to the Ministry of Public Security, it is critical to destroy these weapons to eliminate their usage by criminals. Many of these firearms were related to crimes such as drug trafficking, murders, domestic violence, assaults, and possession of forbidden weapons, among other offenses.

According to Judicial Investigation Organization figures, 836 murders were recorded so far this year, exceeding the previous year's total of 588 fatalities by 248 crimes.

To minimize the crime rate, the ministry launched a new security strategy called Safe Costa Rica 2023-2030 National Public Security Plan. The initiative aims to reduce the murder rate per 100,000 people to 9.5 by 2030.

 

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