Costa Rica Coast Guard seizes more than 2 metric tons of cocaine

Costa Rican Coast Guard officers arrested four men on a fishing boat carrying more than 2 metric tons of cocaine in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to the Public Security Ministry.

Coast Guard officers intercepted the boat off the coast of Cabo Blanco, the southernmost tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. On board, police found 164 packages of cocaine weighing 2,296 kg.

Cabo Blanco is also home to the eponymous nature reserve that includes more than 1,600 hectares of protected Pacific Ocean.

The four men arrested — three Nicaraguans and a Costa Rican — did not have criminal records. Police took the four to Caldera, Puntarenas for processing. If convicted, they would face up to 20 years in prison.

Thursday’s seizure comes a week after Coast Guard officers intercepted a boat on the Caribbean coast carrying more than a metric ton of marijuana.

According to figures from the Security Ministry, Costa Rica has seized nearly 10 metric tons of cocaine so far this year.