Drug
Smuggling At Costa Rica's Main Airport Up
63%
Perhaps it is due to the economic crisis or
just a fast way to get rich, as many more
this past year have decided to take the
chance and smuggle drugs out of Costa Rica
by was of the country's major airport, the
Juan Santamaría, in San José.
The Policía de Control de Drogas (PCD) -
drug enforcement police - reports that drug
smuggling at the airport was up 63% in 2009
over 2008, confiscating some 37% more
cocaine than the previous year.
The majority the 35 "burros" detained in
2008 were Europeans.
During the period of January 1 to December
31, the PCD reports confiscating 88 kilos of
cocaine at the Santamaría, however, the haul
for 2009 was 209 kilos.
The PCD attributes the higher level of
detections to better surveillance at the
airport, with the support of some 61
officers of the Policía Aeroportuaria
(airport police) and the Fuerza Pública
(regular police) that took the time to
follow up on suspected passengers.
Most of the detainees were detected moments
before they were ready to board their
flight, much to do with being too nervous in
the eyes of the police.
The ministra de Seguridad Pública, Janina
del Vecchio, attribued the results to better
training of police and better resources at
the airport to detect the transfer of
illegal drugs.
Del Vecchio said that the top two countries
of destination of the illegal drugs was
Spain and Italy. However, police also
registered drug smugglers from Israel,
Britain, South Africa, United States,
Guatemala, EL Salvador, Dominican Republic,
Lithuania, Belgium, Holland, Portugal and
Venezueal, among others.
The ministra made it clear that there is a
zero tolerance policy at the airport and
that any type of drug smuggling activity
will not be tolerated.
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