The Costa Rican government’s assurance, backed by security agencies, that the scanners installed at the Moín port in Limón would prevent drug shipments in containers has been recently challenged.
The Rotterdam port in the Netherlands intercepted a shipment containing a staggering 494 kilos of cocaine stashed in 1,950 packages. This alarming news was disseminated via the Public Ministry’s social channels in Rotterdam towards the close of August.
Surprisingly, Costa Rica’s Security Minister, Mario Zamora, stated that there was no official communication received about the matter.
However, once the information was verified, Zamora stated that the shipment had indeed traversed the scanner checkpoint within Costa Rica’s borders.
The inspection of this shipment occurred on July 31, a mere fortnight after the initiation of the revised scanning procedure implemented by local authorities. This particular examination was undertaken at Station 2.
“At that specific juncture, when the container was being screened, the scanner was experiencing technical difficulties,” Minister Zamora explained.
He further elaborated that the equipment, predicted to last five years, malfunctioned within just two weeks of its deployment in Limón. It turned out that this particular scanner was the one that encountered the most glitches.
“We’re inclined to believe there’s a technical malfunction that’s currently under review,” the Minister added.
Following the confirmation of the drug seizure at the European port, Zamora ensured that a comprehensive evaluation will be undertaken to ascertain potential lapses or elements that may have played a part in this oversight.
Parallelly, the incident has been handed over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, emphasizing the necessity for a thorough judicial examination of the occurrence.
This matter deeply concerns the Costa Rican government, which had championed the introduction of these scanners as a pivotal strategy in their fight against drug trafficking.
Historically, Costa Rica’s ports have been hubs for product shipments, which, to the detriment of legal trade, were exploited by criminals. They cleverly concealed drugs within these consignments, which then went undetected during the export process, which is why the government decided to install the scanners.
