Three foreigners detained with speedboat and drug cargo in Costa Rica's Pacific
Costa Rican coastguards intercepted a vessel 41 nautical miles from Sierpe with two Colombians and an Ecuadorian aboard. The captain had drug trafficking antecedents in Ecuador.
Flagless speedboat intercepted in southern Costa Rican Pacific
Costa Rican coastguards detained three foreign nationals aboard a speedboat carrying an apparent drug cargo on Sunday, 8 November, according to an announcement on Monday by the Ministry of Public Security (MSP), according to infobae.com.
The vessel was located 41 nautical miles south-west of Sierpe de Osa, in the Pacific Ocean, with the support of a United States aircraft. The Special Operations Group (GOPES) of the National Coastguard Service carried out the interception during the night.
The detainees and their records
The three occupants of the speedboat were identified as Reina Arias, a 38-year-old Ecuadorian; Perlaza Hurtado, a 52-year-old Colombian; and González Orobio, a 55-year-old Colombian, who was acting as captain of the vessel.
The latter had already been arrested in 2016 by Ecuadorian authorities whilst transporting illicit substances in Ecuador's territorial waters aboard another vessel. The MSP cited that history as one of the relevant findings of the operation.
The characteristics of the Pez Gallo
The intercepted vessel, identified as the Pez Gallo, was a speedboat of approximately 32 feet in length—approximately 9.75 metres—navigating without a flag. It was equipped with two outboard motors of 200 horsepower each and a satellite communication system.
The authorities did not specify the route the vessel was following, its point of departure, or the intended destination of the cargo.
Transfer to Golfito and pending expert assessments
After securing the speedboat, officers transferred the three detainees and the cargo to Golfito, Puntarenas, where corresponding procedures were initiated. The Drug Control Police (PCD) took charge of expert assessments to determine the exact nature and quantity of the substances found aboard.
At the time of the report, the authorities had not confirmed whether it was cocaine, marijuana or another type of drug. The MSP had also not detailed the judicial measures sought against the detainees.
Second operation in less than a week
The operation took place five days after another operation carried out on 4 November, when Costa Rican forces with international cooperation intercepted a vessel near Punta Burica. On that occasion they seized 2,648 packages of marijuana weighing approximately 2.6 tonnes, and detained two Ecuadorian nationals.
Both operations are part of the maritime surveillance actions that Costa Rica is conducting with the participation of international bodies, including the United States, whose air support was cited by the MSP as a key factor in locating the speedboat in Sunday's operation.
Source: Google News EC — Crime