COSTA RICA: Police seize 2 tonnes of illegal drugs and arms headed to Colombia

In the past week, Costa Rican police seized more than 2 tonnes of illegal drugs and weapons, believed headed to Colombia. Late Thursday (December 28) Costa Rican police seized 1290 kilos of cocaine that were hidden inside a false floor in a boat stopped by police. The packages were marked with the logo 'RCN,' the Colombian television and radio channel. Earlier in the day, police seized 1780 kilos in two boats which were seized in separate incidents off the country's Pacific coast. "We saw a boat acting suspiciously near the beach," said Coast Guard Director Carlos Alvarado. "We followed a bit outside and they bring in another boat that, when we tried to follow, fled. When we tried to intervene, the boat moved close to the beach and some individuals ran." Just days ago, near Playa Bandera, the police seized a substantial weapons cache that included arms, ammunition and grenades. The same day, they stopped a truck in which they found 600 kilos of cocaine. "Several topics converged (here)," said Public Security Minister Fernando Berrocal, "drugs, quite a bit of cocaine -- a tonne of cocaine which is worth a fortune-- and weapons." The seizures bring the total amount of drugs seized by Costa Rican police to 21 tonnes, a record high. Authorities believe that the country is an important bridge connecting illegal drug and arms traffic from Colombia to the United States. The Public Security Ministry has increased patrols along the Central American country's coasts in the belief that drug and arms shipments may increase in the final days of 2006.

ITN Source | December 30, 2006

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