By Belize Live News Staff: Costa Rica has handed over a massive drug stockpile to the United States in one of the region’s biggest transfers.
Forty five metric tons of cocaine, valued at more than $1.25 billion, were loaded onto a US Air Force C17 and flown to the US for destruction.
The US Embassy said the drugs were seized with support from the United States and partner countries under the Shield of the Americas security initiative and a regional coalition against drug cartels.
The transfer comes weeks after Operation Atlas Nexus, a joint action against organized crime involving Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. A European Union report said Costa Rica’s OIJ seized more than 27.8 metric tons of drugs, including 24.5 tons of cocaine and 3.2 tons of cannabis, along with 181 firearms. In Costa Rica, 375 people were arrested.
Judicial authorities say Costa Rica’s location has made it a centre for the transit, storage and re export of cocaine, with most shipments coming from South America, particularly Colombia
