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.

At the place on Saturday, specialists from the Drug Control Police conducted a more thorough inspection and found almost 590 cocaine packages, each weighing approximately one kilogram.

The boat, drugs, fuel and electronic navigation equipment were confiscated as evidence in this case.

The suspects were taken to the cells of the Limón Public Ministry, where they had to wait for a judge to order pre-trial prison indicted of the alleged crime of international drug trafficking.

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.