Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency flags the southern Pacific coast as the top spot for drug smugglers. Officials point to four main entry points there: Punta Burica, Golfo Dulce, Bahía Drake, and the Osa triangle. All lack any police presence right now. They also name Cabo Velas in Guanacaste, close to Tamarindo, as another key path for international traffickers.
OIJ director Randall Zúñiga laid this out to lawmakers recently. He said Bahía Drake stands out as the biggest landing zone for cocaine and marijuana coming from Colombia and Ecuador. The agency sent a 2024 situation report to all authorities highlighting this trend. Zúñiga pushed Congress to approve funds for new police outposts in Puerto Jiménez, Tamarindo, and La Cruz. Without these, he warned, organized crime groups keep gaining ground.
Zúñiga took aim at the Finance Ministry too. He said they held back ₡6 billion set aside for new jobs at the OIJ and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Costa Rica now deals with its worst peacetime violence, he noted, and called for a national agreement to boost investigative teams with better funding.
Traffickers shifted to the Pacific side for clear reasons. U.S.-led patrols tightened up in the Caribbean, making it tougher there. Logistical issues add to that, along with a surplus of drugs from Colombia flooding the market. Smugglers now favor speedboats from South America hitting spots like Osa, Puerto Jiménez, Corredores, and Punta Burica.
The OIJ identified these routes in talks with legislators. Zúñiga stressed in one session that the four spots—Punta Burica, Bahía Drake, Golfito, and Cabo Velas—see the most action. Earlier reports from January backed this up, naming the north and south Pacific coasts, plus Colorado River bars, as strategic drop zones.
This buildup ties into rising homicides linked to drug disputes. Costa Rica’s peaceful image takes hits as cartels carve out territories. Zúñiga has linked much of the violence to battles over these Pacific paths.
Lawmakers now face pressure to act. The OIJ’s pleas for resources aim to close these gaps before smugglers dig in deeper. As boats keep arriving unchecked, the southern Pacific’s role in the drug flow grows harder to ignore.
