A United States military aircraft last week transported 39.2 metric tons of drugs seized in Costa Rica to North America for destruction, the U.S. Embassy reported.
The C-17 military transport plane flew drugs that had been seized over the last seven months from the San José area to Florida.
The U.S. Embassy highlighted the cooperation of drug control police (PCD), the Coast Guard, the Air Surveillance Service, Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) and others that “have allowed the seizure of hundreds of kilos of narcotics in the country.”
“Our cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking reflects the excellent relationship between Costa Rica and the United States,” said the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy, Gloria Berbena.
“We praised the excellent work of Costa Rican security services in seizure. From a record of drugs in the last year, while our countries work together to combat drug trafficking and contribute to safety in the hemisphere.”
The United States said it’s supporting the installation of a drug incinerator in Costa Rica, which could eliminate the need for these flights in the future.
“However, until the incinerator is put into operation, the United States collaborates with the destruction of seized drugs,” the Embassy said.
Costa Rica and other Central American countries are used as a bridge for cocaine trafficking from South American drug-producing countries to the consuming markets of the United States and Europe.
In 2020, Costa Rican authorized seized a record 71.2 tons of cocaine and marijuana.
The United States provides financial and material support to Costa Rica’s anti-narcotics efforts.
