No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveCosta Rican Coast Guard detains another speed boat with cocaine

Costa Rican Coast Guard detains another speed boat with cocaine

The Costa Rican Coast Guard on Monday nabbed an Ecuadorian speedboat with an undetermined amount of cocaine on board.

The boat, about 10 meters long, was detained near the coastal area of Punta Burica, in the Southern Pacific border with Panama, and officers arrested four members of the crew – two Costa Ricans and two Ecuadorians.

Drug Control Police found the drugs concealed in a double lining of the boat, and officers are measuring packages to determine the total amount of drugs seized.

Costa Rica’s anti-drug commissioner, Mauricio Boraschi, said that the method traffickers used is becoming increasingly common. “They [drug traffickers] use small speedboats aboard larger boats, usually fishing boats, and at a certain point on the route, they transfer small amounts [of cocaine] into the smaller boats.”

Boraschi said that intelligence for the  operation was conducted in conjunction with U.S. Coast Guard officials. Officials said the seized boat carried enough fuel to reach any country in Central America.

Coast Guard boats from Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Colombia are currently patrolling the Punta Burica area, in search of the main fishing vessels that are transporting drugs, Boraschi said.

Last Tuesday, drug traffickers abandoned a boat with 1.5 tons of cocaine after being pursued by a Costa Rican Coast Guard patrol at the Caribbean beach of Manzanillo.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Air Travel is Evolving with Route Shifts

Airlines are reshaping their paths to Costa Rica, with some Latin American carriers pulling back while others from Canada, Mexico, and Europe step up...

Costa Rica Pesticide Use Harms Soil Life, UNA Study Finds

Costa Rica is one of the countries that uses the most agrochemicals, which has a series of negative repercussions in various areas. A recent...

Costa Rica Faces Calls to Strengthen Shark Protection Enforcement

Costa Rica faces growing pressure from environmental experts and lawyers to tighten enforcement of laws protecting endangered sharks. Recent court rulings have highlighted gaps...

Starbucks Honors Costa Rica’s Coffee Roots in October Festivities

Coffee runs deep in our veins, a tradition that started in the 1700s and shapes our country's economy and culture today. This October, Starbucks...

Family Beach Day in Costa Rica Exploring Tidepools and Wildlife

My two sons couldn’t be more different. They look completely different. They act completely differently. They eat different foods. They have different interests. This...

Trump Authorizes CIA Ops in Venezuela as US Weighs Land Strikes

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday authorized CIA operations against Venezuela and said he was considering carrying out ground attacks against drug cartels...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
spot_img
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