Costa Rica’s drug trade blamed for spike in homicides
by: JAVIER CORDOBA, Associated Press
Posted: Apr 11, 2023 / 05:21 PM CDT
Updated: Apr 11, 2023 / 05:21 PM CDT
LIMON, Costa Rica (AP) — In this colorful Caribbean port, where cruise ship passengers are whisked to jungle adventures in Costa Rica’s interior, locals try to be home by dark and police patrol with high-caliber guns in the face of soaring drug violence.
Costa Rica logged a record 657 homicides last year and Limon – with a homicide rate five times the national average — was the epicenter.
The bloodshed in a country better known for its laid-back, “it’s all good” outlook and its lack of a standing army has stirred a public outcry as the administration of President Rodrigo Chaves scrambles for answers.
Where Costa Rica had previously been just a pass-through for northbound cocaine from Colombian and Mexican cartels, authorities say it is now a warehousing and transshipment point for drugs sent to Europe by homegrown Costa Rican gangs.
https://www.borderreport.com/immigration/border-crime/costa-ricas-drug-trade-blamed-for-spike-in-homicides/
