In a “historic” drug bust Sunday night at Daniel Oduber International Airport in the northwestern Guanacaste capital of Liberia, six people were arrested for allegedly carrying 35.6 kilograms of cocaine in their luggage, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry.
Police believe this is the first time six people have worked together as “mules” to traffic drugs aboard a plane, said Public Security Ministry spokesman Jesús Ureña. It also marks the largest quantity of cocaine confiscated at once at a Costa Rican airport.
Those arrested were identified as two Jamaican women with the last names Buchanan, 57, and Gayle, 27, as well as two Canadian women identified as Laurens, 46, and Warburton, 26. Two Canadian men identified as Attzsgevon, 20, and Dwayne, 24, were also arrested.
The six were scheduled to fly to Toronto, Canada. Anti-drug authorities discovered the cocaine hidden in compartments of their 11 suitcases while inspecting them, Ureña said.
