Costa Rica seizes 1,800 pounds of cocaine in Pacific Ocean

Costa Rican authorities have seized a boat carrying some 1,800 pounds (810 kilograms) of cocaine off the country's central Pacific coast.

Public Security Minister Celso Gamboa says a US surveillance plane detected the suspicious vessel yesterday afternoon and notified the Costa Rican Coast Guard, which captured it about 40 miles (60 kilometers) from the city of Quepos.

Gamboa said today that the 30-foot (9-meter), Ecuador- flagged boat was piloted by five suspects who tossed part of the cargo overboard. Authorities recovered 41 bundles of cocaine.

The suspects were detained. They include three Colombians and two Costa Ricans, one of whom has a criminal record for extortion and aggravated robbery.
 

Traffickers have increasingly been using Costa Rica to smuggle US-bound drugs.