Costa Rica’s location astride the Central American isthmus makes the country an attractive transshipment area for South American-produced cocaine and heroin destined primarily for the United States. Drug traffickers are now more likely to transport overland shipments through Costa Rica in smaller vehicles as opposed to previous use of tractor-trailers. Its attraction to traffickers stems from: (1) dual coastline; (2) poorly-patrolled Pan American Highway; (3) porous southern border; (4) no military; and (5) a Coast Guard with limited resources. Enhanced land interdiction capabilities resulting in part from a large U.S. Government (USG) investment in the border crossing at Penas Blancas, a natural chokepoint on the Nicaraguan border, have caused drug traffickers to reduce reliance on traditional overland routes and redirect their illicit cargo to points north via maritime and air assets.
U.S. Counternarcotics Goals
- Reduce the transit of drugs to U.S. markets by reducing the flow of illicit narcotics through Costa Rica.
- Enhance the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.
- Reduce the use of Costa Rica as a money laundering center by encouraging stricter controls and strengthening enforcement.
- Support efforts to locate and destroy marijuana fields.
- Target high-level trafficking organizations operating in Costa Rica.
- Encourage the Government of Costa Rica (GOCR) to attack maritime trafficking through continued collaboration with the USG.
U.S. Programs
The Department of State continued providing law enforcement assistance to the Government of Costa Rica, focusing on increased professionalization of the Costa Rican Coast Guard and enhanced cooperation with the Drug Control Police. While land-based interdiction, especially border checkpoints, remains important to U.S. strategy, U.S. assistance has focused on interdicting maritime-based narcotics shipments. The interagency Mobile Enforcement Team (MET) that include canine units, drug control police, customs police, and specialized vehicles, all supported with Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) funds, coordinated 24 cross-border operations with authorities in Nicaragua and Panama, meeting its goal of two deployments per month. In addition, INL supports demand reduction and education programs throughout the country that promote awareness of problems associatied with drug abuse through the Prevention Unit of the Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas (ICD). In 2007 PCD publicized its special phone-in number (176) in their demand-reduction materials, to encourage citizens to report drug-related activity in their neighborhoods while remaining safely anonymous. The PCD considers the 176 phone-in program to be an excellent source of information that is analyzed and often leads to arrests
Finally with the Merida Initiative INL funding, Costa Rica will receive direct bilateral assistance to improve drug interdiction and law enforcement capabilities, with an emphasis on increased regional cooperation. This will improve police communications and movement capabilities, while border inspection equipment will help detect drugs in vehicles and trailers. Costa Rica will also receive regional Merida assistance in areas such as firearms tracing, gang prevention, and educational and cultural exchanges.
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