Costa Rican authorities last weekend seized 46.5 kilograms of turtle meat and 7.5kg of turtle eggs, and arrested five people who allegedly organized green turtle killings on the Caribbean coast, the Public Security Ministry said.
The operation was carried out by agents from the ministry’s Moín-based Coast Guard and the Limón Prosecutor’s Office at a beach in the La Trocha area, one kilometer from the MatinaRiver.
The authorities zeroed in on the suspects under a palm hut, right near sacks of turtle meat and eggs and an empty shell belonging to a “recently slaughtered” green turtle, according to a ministry press release.
The suspects, who were allegedly profiting from the endeavor, could face up to three years in prison and fines for environmental damage, the release said.
