The new patrol boats will expand the Coast Guard's reach to 5,500 kilometers, allowing patrols to reach Costa Rica’s maritime borders with Ecuador and Colombia.
Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) has determined that negligence is not to blame in the January catamaran accident that claimed the lives of three tourists. But the case may not be over.
The committee’s visit to Costa Rica coincides with the latest dust-up over the landing of U.S. aircraft in Costa Rica as part of the joint patrol agreement between the two countries.
The turtles, which weighed between 120 and 150 kilograms, were sent to the Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo for care, where two others have since been taken for care. Police have rescued at least seven of the ancient reptiles so far this year from poachers who capture them for their meat as they come ashore to lay their eggs.
A U.S. surveillance plane spotted an unregistered vessel Monday afternoon and reported to Costa Rican authorities its location 50 nautical miles off the Caribbean coast of Limón.
The Costa Rican Coast Guard on Thursday took custody of three Costa Rican men arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard earlier this month. The suspects were caught with nearly 2 metric tons of cocaine, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry.
In the wake of several tragic boat accidents this year, government officials and environmental groups are pointing blame at the Legislative Assembly for failing to pass a bill designed to increase maritime safety and hold ship captains accountable for reckless behavior.
