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Photo via U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Coast Guard leads narco-submarine seizure in Costa Rica



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Published on Tuesday, August 13, 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 three individuals for trafficking almost two tons of cocaine in a narco-submarine.


A narco-submarine is a type of custom ocean-going, self-propelled, semi-submersible vessel built for drug smugglers.


According to the Ministry of Public Security, the case began on Sunday when a U.S. Coast Guard plane spotted a suspicious submarine, crossing the Costa Rica Pacific 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 45-foot-long submarine around 69 nautical miles off Matapalo Cape in Osa Peninsula, Puntarenas Province.



This is the first case of a narco submarine interception in Costa Rica this year. Inside the submarine, the officers found many packages containing drugs along with large fuel containers and navigation equipment.



Officers arrested three male crew members, one from Ecuador surnamed Castillo (29), and two from Colombia surnamed Parades (47) and surnamed Lopez (37).



Police towed the submarine to the Golfito Beach Coast Guard Station.



At the place on Monday, specialists from the Drug Control Police conducted a more thorough inspection and found almost 2,000 cocaine packages, each weighing approximately one kilogram.



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



The suspects were taken to the cells of the Puntarenas 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 15 tons of cocaine and about 10 tons of marijuana, authorities added.






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. 



In June, the U.S. ​​donated almost $700,000 to the Ministry of Public Security to improve security tactics and equipment for police officers and agents of the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ).


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What should the U.S. do to help Costa Rica combat drug trafficking? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com



  


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