Costa Rica takes custody of 3 suspected cocaine smugglers nabbed by US

The Costa Rican Coast Guard on Thursday took custody of three Costa Rican men arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard earlier this month. The suspects were caught with nearly 2 metric tons of cocaine, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry.

The arrests took place on May 16 in international waters south of the Pacific town of Golfito, after a U.S. Coast Guard plane spotted the fishing boat “Capitán Luismi” with three suspects on board. The suspects were identified by the last names Montero, Franco and Porras.

When the alleged smugglers realized they were being followed, they began throwing packages of cocaine into the water. A U.S. ship intercepted the boat and detained its crew, fishing a total of 60 cocaine packages out of the water. The drugs weighed 1.8 metric tons.

Samples of the cocaine were handed over to Costa Rican authorities. The cocaine was embossed with the profile of a pig and the word “Chester,” a breed of white pigs.

The handoff of prisoners and evidence took place a mile offshore at Caldera. Once on Costa Rican soil, the three suspects were booked on international drug trafficking charges.