Costa Rican police seized 1.2 metric tons of cocaine and arrested three Nicaraguan nationals during an operation in the Pacific Ocean, the Ministry of Public Security (MSP) reported. The interception occurred 64 kilometers off Cabo Matapalo in the southern Pacific, a region often used by drug traffickers moving narcotics northward.
A Costa Rican Coast Guard vessel stopped the boat after its crew attempted to get away. Once stopped, the Drug Control Police (PCD) found 1,229 packages of cocaine and 448 packages of marijuana, each weighing approximately one kilogram. A U.S. aircraft assisted in locating the vessel, part of a joint patrol agreement between the two countries. The MSP said the suspects were handed over to judicial authorities for prosecution.
Costa Rica, like other Central American nations, continues to serve as a transit point for cocaine originating in South America—primarily Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and ultimately destined for the United States, the largest global market for the drug. This seizure adds to the more than seven tons of cocaine confiscated in Costa Rica in 2025, following a record 21.3 tons in 2024, according to the Costa Rican Drug Institute (ICD).
Details about the vessel and the suspects’ identities have not been released, and the investigation remains ongoing. The operation shows the efforts made by our country to address drug trafficking along the long and difficult to patrol coastlines. The MSP noted that international cooperation played a key role in the success of the mission.
