No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeCosta Rican police thank drug traffickers for new plane

Costa Rican police thank drug traffickers for new plane

The Public Security Ministry (MSP) has a new plane, thanks to some drug traffickers.

The King Air F90, rechristened MSP 020, was seized while carrying a metric ton of cocaine in Costa Rica. The plane has since changed its feathers and has participated in an ambulatory mission and a historic flight to Isla del Coco.

“This plane was confiscated [when it was used for] drug trafficking, and now it is used to fight this same activity,” said Oldemar Madrigal, director of MSP’s Air Patrol division, SVA.

Unbelievably, MSP 020 is the only Costa Rican police plane with the means to fly to the remote Isla del Coco, in the Pacific, turning a 36-hour boat trip into a brief hour-and-a-half hop.

“Costa Rica today has an air fleet that for the first time has the ability to carry out an aerial patrol to Isla del Coco. This is the first time that the Public Security Ministry has reached 22,000 feet with its own resources,” Gamboa said, according to an MSP statement.

(Courtesy Public Security Ministry)
(Courtesy Public Security Ministry)

Trending Now

New Poison Dart Frog Species Discovered in Peru’s Amazon

Peruvian researchers have identified a new poison dart frog in the Amazon rainforest, adding to the region's rich array of wildlife. The tiny creature,...

Costa Rica Coast Guard Seizes Illegal Gillnets in Protected Refuge

Costa Rican Coast Guard officers pulled nearly a kilometer of illegal gillnets from protected waters in the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge during...

Cost of living in Costa Rica from a U.S. Expat

Paradise doesn’t come cheap. Cars, gas, appliances, phones, TVs often cost more in Costa Rica. But not everything. Here’s a simple, like-for-like look at...

Costa Rica’s FIFCO Sells Operations to Heineken After Vote

Shareholders of Costa Rica's Florida Ice and Farm Company, known as FIFCO, gave the green light on to sell most of their food, beverage,...

Costa Rica Approves Extradition of Ex-Minister Gamboa and Associates

A Costa Rican court has approved the extradition of former Security Minister Celso Gamboa Sánchez to the United States on charges of international cocaine...

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...
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