A Costa Rican criminal group was taken down this week after smuggling 32 kilograms of cocaine into Australia, hidden inside roll-up inflatable boats. The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ), led by the Deputy Prosecutor’s Office for Drug Trafficking, arrested six suspects during early morning raids on Wednesday. The operations spanned Mata Redonda in San José, Pozos de Santa Ana, Concepción de La Unión, Pérez Zeledón, and Barva.
The group’s activities came to light after Australian Federal Police seized the cocaine shipment in June 2023. Another raid in August 2024 by the OIJ uncovered 24 kilograms of the drug stashed in forklift batteries meant for the United States. Investigators say the organization also used surfboards and even sculptures in past schemes, showing their knack for hiding drugs in unconventional items.
Michael Soto, deputy director of the Judicial Police, explained the stakes: “A kilo of cocaine sells for about $7,000 here, but in Australia, it’s worth $300,000. That 32-kilo seizure in Australia was valued at $9.6 million.” The high profits drove the group to build a tight operation, using their experience and international contacts to move drugs across borders.
Authorities are still hunting for the group’s leader, who allegedly has ties to earlier drug trafficking cases. “This person has expertise in concealing drugs in all sorts of merchandise,” said Deputy Prosecutor Mauricio Boraschi. The organization recruited people with clean records to handle exports, making their activities harder to trace. They operated out of a warehouse in Heredia, where drugs were packed into wooden crates and handed to customs agencies for shipping.
Soto pointed to a bigger issue: “Cocaine production is booming in South America, and Costa Rica has become a hub for drug trafficking. Groups like this use their know-how to cash in, exploiting our ports and logistics networks.” The OIJ’s Narcotics Section worked closely with international agencies to track the group’s movements, leading to the coordinated raids.
The six suspects are now in the hands of the Public Ministry, which will question them and decide their legal fate. As Costa Rica deals with its growing role in global drug networks, this bust shows the OIJ’s determination to crack down on sophisticated trafficking operations. But with the ringleader still at large, the fight is far from over.
