A citizen from the United States was arrested on September 1^st, 2014 by police officers assigned to the canton of Carrillo, in the province of Guanacaste. According to press release CP-1171-2014 issued by Fuerza Publica (Costa Rica’s national police force) the North American man, whose last name was reported as Riley, was approached and searched by officers patrolling Playa Potrero. He was allegedly found with 40 pouches of marijuana.

 

The press release states that Riley was arrested for possession of marijuana in excess of the personal amount that is essentially decriminalized in Costa Rica. Under the laws of the country, drug use is not a crime but rather a public health matter that requires prevention and treatment if it leads to addiction. Under this doctrine, for example, a police officer cannot arrest someone smoking marijuana in public, although the officer can destroy that personal amount on the spot. The same goes for other drugs: amounts that indicate personal use do not lead to arrests; larger amounts, however, may be signal an intent of distribution, smuggling, delivery, or dealing.

 

Fuerza Publica also indicated that Riley was taken to the Immigration Directorate since his U.S. passport did not have entry or exit stamps, and thus his visa status could not be ascertained. The marijuana was seized and given to prosecutors in Guanacaste who will determine if criminal charges will be filed.

 

Parking Attendant Also Arrested for Dealing at the Beach

 

Also in the Carrillo canton this week, Fuerza Publica officers arrested a wachiman or cuidacarros (an informal parking attendant who watches over parked cars) for alleged drug dealing. The arrest occurred in Playas del Coco after officers noticed suspicious activity involving the suspect. Although a search did not reveal any drugs in his possession, his lunch box contained 260,000 colones, $380 and 74 grams of cannabis.

 

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, the administration of former President Laura Chinchilla investigated the possibility of legalizing personal use of drugs; alas, public opinion indicated that Costa Rica is not quite ready to do so at this time. President Luis Guillermo Solis has not made any pronouncements on the matter, citing the need to approach more important issues at this time.