Police in Costa Rica seized five tons of cocaine in a container due to be shipped in the Netherlands during a drug haul. They discovered the illegal drugs last Saturday in the largest drug haul in Costa Rica's history. The cocaine was hidden in ornamental flowers at the APM Terminals port of Moin, Limon. 

Authorities found over 202 suitcases which held 5,408 packages of cocaine. According to the AFP news agency, the packages weighed 1 kg each. Police said the drugs were produced in South America, but they did not specify where.

The drugs are estimated to have a value of 126 million euros or $136 million. Police then arrested an unnamed, 46-year-old Costa Rican.

Drugs in Costa Rica Over the Years

Costa Rica has faced a lot of problems with drugs over the years. In July of 2019, a fisherman was caught smuggling drugs in the country. The smuggler was a wealthy fisherman who owned large private properties and luxury vehicles. He led groups called "transportista", which meant "carrier" in English.

According to CRHoy.com, the Nicaragua national, who was nicknamed "Antorcha", was arrested on charges he ran fleets of drug boats along the Pacific coast. The man owned two docks in the port city of Puntarenas. The fishing boats that used the docks were loaded with illegal drugs that his son and three other men transported. 

More recently, in January of last year, authorities also arrested a 36-year-old man named Alfaro Bustamante. Bustamante led a ring that moved cocaine in exchange for Jamaican marijuana. 

The Costa Rican coast provides open water for boats and vessels to transport in illegal drugs. These ports are also feeding the European cocaine pipeline.

Cocaine seized in Costa Rica hit a record of 33.6 tons in 2018. A single week in March of the same year saw 6.4 tons of cocaine. Authorities also found a submarine carrying almost 1.5 tons of drugs. Then, the month of April 2018 also saw the discovery of another ton of cocaine aboard a boat.

Costa Rica was considered as an established warehouse and trading center for drug cartels. Colombian drug-running organizations were detected bringing drugs into the country, where they store and sell them to the Mexican buyers.

Violence related to drugs has also seen a continuing increase. Homicides in Costa Rica reached a record level of 603 people in 2017, 196 more than the killings in 2012. 

Costa Rica is among the most violent regions in the world. Many of the killings the past few years were attributed to drugs and drug trafficking. According the article by Business Insider 2018, The deputy director of Costa Rica's judicial investigation body said 48% of the deaths stemmed from gang violence, while 25% were related to drug trafficking.

Costa Rica is a famous port for neighboring countries as a transshipment point for all drugs heading north. Many of the areas along the coast saw a steady increase in homicide cases where drug activity was rampant. 

Costa Rican security officials said they were unable to stop traffickers and smugglers from using their territory.

"There does not exist a beach in Costa Rica where narcos haven't penetrated with a boat with cocaine, coming from Colombia," Public Security Minister Gustavo Mata told legislators in February 2017.

The deputy director of the Judicial Investigation Organism, Michael Soto, expect crime and violence to remain problems in Costa Rica unless "something extraordinary happens."