No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveCosta Rica police to patrol rivers, canals of Puntarenas

Costa Rica police to patrol rivers, canals of Puntarenas

The province of Puntarenas celebrated the addition of two high-tech police boats, each worth ¢17 million ($30,900), to its police force Monday. The boats will navigate the rivers and canals of the Nicoya Peninsula and Gulf of Nicoya, stops along international drug trafficking and illegal immigration routes.

The new boats are outfitted with GPS navigation equipment, a computerized motor, as well as a loudspeaker system to communicate with boats under investigation.

The craft given to Puntarenas are two of five planned to be put into use around the country. The other three boats will navigate the rivers and channels of Los Chiles and Sarapiquí, in the north-central region of the country, and Tortuguero and Limón, on the Caribbean.

Nineteen National Police officials received the qualification to pilot the boats after graduating from a 90-hour intensive course, where they learned basic boat maintenance and tide reading, among other skills.

The acquisition of the boats comes as part of the National Police´s

“Oleaje de Pacífico” (Pacific swell) operation, which was launched Jan. 14. Prior to that, the Coast Guard carried out such waterway patrols.

Trending Now

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...

El Salvador Slams Paris Fashion Show Inspired by Cecot Mega-Prison Inmates

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, joked on Saturday that he could send inmates from his mega-prison to France, after they were represented...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

Costa Rica Joins U.S. Global Entry, Easing Travel for Tourists

Costa Rica took a big step forward, by officially joining the U.S. Global Entry program, a move set to make travel smoother for Costa...

Costa Rican Court Orders Release of Migrants Deported Under Trump Deal

A court on Tuesday ordered Costa Rican authorities to release foreign migrants who had been detained in a shelter after being deported under an...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica