Accused drug trafficker wanted by U.S. arrested in Costa Rica

Police in Costa Rica on Tuesday arrested Sewnsen Arthur Pinnace Collins, a suspected drug trafficker from Honduras and one of the United States’ most-wanted criminals in Central America.

Pinnace Collins was arrested at the Juan Santamaría International Airport, north of the capital, upon arrival on a flight from El Salvador. The arrest followed a lengthy investigation by Costa Rica’s Department of Intelligence and Security, the Presidency Ministry announced.

Pinnace Collins had an international warrant out for his arrest and and an extradition request prepared by U.S. authorities, Costa Rican officials said.

Costa Rica’s illicit drug commissioner, Mauricio Boraschi, said Pinnace Collins “directed a broad drug trafficking network that used sea routes to transport illicit drugs to the United States.”

His arrest was coordinated by Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and the U.S., and delivered a significant blow to “an important transnational organized crime structure,” Boraschi said.

Some 90 percent of the cocaine that reaches U.S. markets is trafficked through Central America and Mexico, U.S. officials said.