Drug Smugglers Keep Police Busy At Airport
Drug smuggling continues to be a problem for Costa Rican officials, as some visitors decide to take home illegal drugs in attempts to avoid police controls at the Juan Santamaría (San José) airport.

The latest case is that of two Spaniards who attempted to take 3.3 kilos of coaine with them, strapping the drugs to the inside of their legs, according to a Ministerio de Seguridad information bulletin.

The two men, identified as Nieto Barrachina, 29, who was carrying 1.67 kg and  Martínez Amigo, 33, was carrying 1,63 kilos, according to the report.

Both men were detained in Costa Rica coming from Nicaragua before attempting to board an Iberia flight to Spain.

"The drugs were found bound to the legs of the two suspects, after anti drug police officials spotted the two men who were acting nervously",  said the information bulleting.

The two men are now in the hands of authorities and are being charged with international drug trafficking that carries a maximum jail sentence of 20 years each if convicted.

With the detention of the two men, the tally for this year of people trying to smuggle out drugs from Costa Rica is by Spain with seven, followed by Holland with five, Bulgaria with four and Romania with two.

The bulletin also said that, in addition police intercepted a "courier" envelope that contained 612 grams of cocaine hidden in a doll headed for Rome, Italy.

Also at the Peñas Blancas border control with Nicaragua, drug police detained a 42 year old man who was attempting to smuggle out 4 kg of heroin.

The man, who was not identified, was on probation. The man had been arrested in 2001 for smuggling 20 kg of cocaine and sentenced to eight years and  in 2002 and was released on probation. The probation was due to end next January.