SIGN UP FOR OUR Policia de Control de Drogas (PCD), a drug interdiction arm of the Ministry of Security, not unlike the US DEA, made the biggest drug bust in the history of Costa Rica. The operation took place on February 14th, but there was so much cocaine to process that it took them all night to examine and count. A shipping container vessel was searched in the Port of Moin, and almost six tons of cocaine were discovered, beating the previous capture of three tons of cocaine. They found 202 suitcases, containing 5,048 packages of cocaine, weighing 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) each, estimated value of $330 Million USD.
The ship was bound for Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The suitcases were hidden among a shipment of ornamental flowers bound for Holland, traveling a time-honored route for cartels moving drugs from South America to the United States and Europe. The drugs were discovered through a profiling program to identify suspicious ships, then scan their contents.
Commented Michael Soto, Minister of Public Security for Costa Rica, “On this occasion, thank God, we had a positive result, but I must say that in the past, and probably in the future, we might not be able to detect (cocaine) in these huge containers which move through the Port of Moin, at APM Terminals, in this case.” He added, “I know of no other larger drug bust in Central America… This is a positive and historical bust.”
According to the BBC News, Costa Rica has seen a tremendous surge in drug traffickers using the country to move cocaine to the US and Europe. Drugs pass through from South America, and are either stored in Costa Rica while their shipment onward is organized, or move right on to their final destination. A whole new industry of drug transportation experts has sprung up, many of them with their headquarters in Costa Rica, a perfect centrally-located hub. This is called “Transportista Service”, and earns the owners between $100,000 – $150,000 per contract.
Fleets of false-bottomed trucks are available for hire with drivers who know which roads to use going north, and which border guards can be bought. Airstrips can be constructed virtually overnight, where drug planes can refuel and prepare for take-off. Many of these are on private property, making them beyond the reach of the law, as in the case of the former security guard at John and Ann Bender’s property, Fabio Pizarro, who was arrested for smuggling drugs in false-bottom trucks from his property near San Jose. This year, 100 tracts of land being used for illegal airstrips were identified, up from 33 last year.
The conductor of the ship bound for Holland, a Costa Rican with the last names Rodriguez Mendes, was arrested during the bust. The 46-year old has no previous criminal record. Ship captains often manage to escape capture in these arrests. In every sense, this was Costa Rica’s most important drug bust to date.
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