Suspicious flights, flares in the night sky continue in area where weapons cache discovered

October 21^st, 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com) Residents in Boca de San Carlos, a small community near the border with Nicaragua where earlier this month a large cache of military weapons were discovered, say they continue to be concerned by suspicious helicopters, planes, and flares in the night sky.

Residents describe seeing flares in the night sky on Monday, October 14^th, five days after authorities seized an arsenal of military weapons, including assault rifles and a rocket launcher hidden in a nearby camp.  One resident said the flares were 100 meters in the air and traveled over a kilometer.

The resident, an area farmer, said that aircraft are heard often in the area but the appearance of flares in the night sky had not been seen before.

Residents said that in addition to helicopters, a twin-engine plane flies over the area day and night, and two people can be seen in the aircraft, which apparently comes from the Nicaragua side of the border.

Residents have reported the continued activity to authorities, which dispatched the Border Police to continue inspecting the area for illegal landing strips or helipads.

On October 9^th,  a total of 24 AK-47 assault files, three M-16’s, an RPG-7 rocket launcher, and other large-caliber weapons in addition to a large quantity of ammunition and fuel were found on a finca in Cutris de San Carlos, Alajuela.  The weapons were new and well cared for, Security Minister Mario Zamora said at the time.  A helipad was also discovered on the property.

Official and unofficial sources believe a sophisticated drug trafficking organization was in the process of building a settlement in the area.