Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Country Program: Costa Rica

Challenges

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. 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 investment in the border crossing at Peñas 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.

Drug traffickers are now more likely to transport overland shipments through Costa Rica in smaller vehicles as opposed to previous use of tractor-trailers. The narcotraffickers use go-fast vessels to transport drugs by way of the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The difficulty of maritime interdiction in Costa Rican waters is exacerbated by a total maritime jurisdiction that is more than eleven times the size of Costa Rica’s land mass. These territorial waters are used for the transshipment of illegal drugs in small go-fast boats refueled by larger vessels posing as fishing vessels. Traffickers along northbound maritime routes continue to use routes through Costa Rica’s Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone and those further out to sea in the Eastern Pacific.

• 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.

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. As of June 2005, U.S. Government assistance included spare parts and maintenance training for the Coast Guard and additional equipment and maintenance for the Peñas Blancas facility. The Embassy funded travel for Police and other officials to counternarcotics and anti-money laundering conferences and provided specialized equipment to the cybercrimes unit of the Judicial Police. The Embassy funded travel for U.S. officials to provide training at the Judicial School and provided additional equipment to the interagency Mobile Enforcement team and Costa Rican Immigration. The U.S. also provided increased information on suspect vessel and air traffic movements near Costa Rica.

The U.S. Embassy also arranged for Costa Rican prosecutors to participate in FBI counterterrorism training and for a number of prosecutors and judges to participate in exchanges with U.S. and other counterparts through the International Visitor Program. Using the State Department funding, and in coordination with the Department of Justice, the Embassy organized and hosted a series of training sessions aimed at establishing an interagency task force to combat commercial sexual exploitation of minors and other victims of trafficking in persons. These sessions have already produced over 150 jointly trained officials, 29 Costa Rican instructors, and a wave of successful prosecutions.