Photo via U.S. Coast Guard.
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Published
on Monday, August 26,
2024
By
the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
As
part of the Joint Patrol Treaty with the
United States, the U.S. Coast Guard led an
anti-drug operation that resulted in the
arrest of five Colombians for trafficking
more than half a ton of cocaine.
According
to the Ministry of Public Security, the
case began on Thursday when a U.S. Coast
Guard plane spotted a suspicious small
bass fishing boat crossing the Costa Rica
Caribbean Coast with no visible
registration plate number or country flag.
U.S.
officials instructed the Costa Rican Coast
Guard to follow the alert's coordinates to
intercept the
32-foot-long boat around 79 nautical miles
off Limón
Beach,
Limón Province.
On
Friday, the boat was
intercepted.
Costa Rican officers found large bags
containing drugs along with many large
fuel containers and navigation equipment.
The
police arrested the five male Colombian
crew members surnamed Berríos (34),
Faicuare (60), Lara (29), Torres (24) and
Pacheco (39).
Authorities
towed the boat to the Limón Beach Coast
Guard Station.
The boat, drugs, fuel and electronic navigation equipment were confiscated as evidence in this case.
Authorities
call for people to report any suspicion of
drug sales or trafficking to the ten-digit
confidential line
800-8000-645 or fast line 11-76,
where bilingual agents can answer calls in
English or Spanish.
So
far this year Costa
Rica seized almost 16 tons of cocaine and
about 11 tons of marijuana, authorities
added.
Last year, Security authorities seized 43.5 tons of drugs and arrested over 190,000 suspects.
The State
Department’s Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement (INL) works closely
with Costa Rican security
partners.
Through
cooperation and assistance from
INL and other law enforcement
agencies, Costa Rica confronts
its drug trafficking problem by
intercepting and confiscating
illicit drugs.
Narcotics
seizures by the Costa Rican
government hit new records in
2020 and 2021, with 72.7 and
71.1 metric tons seized respectively. However, seizures
declined in 2022 to 54.3 metric
tons, according
to the U.S. Department of
State.
The U.S.
assigned over $269 million in
bilateral and regional security
assistance to strengthen and
modernize Costa Rica’s security
forces, improve local security
throughout the country, reduce
the influence of corruption, and
enhance the justice sector’s ability
to investigate and prosecute
transnational criminals, the
Department of State, added in
its statement.
This
assistance includes equipment
donations, training, and
technical assistance that
enhance Costa Rica’s capacity
to confront the growing threat
of organized crime and drug trafficking.
The Ministry of Public Security (MSP) is the government agency in charge of ensuring citizen security, preserving public order, forming police units, and coordinating anti-crime initiatives.
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