STORY: Costa Rican authorities working with the U.S. Coast Guard, seized around 4.4 tonnes of cocaine from a vessel intercepted in the Pacific Ocean, officials said on Friday (November 28).

The operation took place about 170 miles (273 kilometers) off the coastal town of Golfito in Puntarenas province and led to the arrest of two Colombian nationals, Security Minister Mario Zamora told reporters. The suspects are expected to face charges of international drug trafficking, which carries sentences of up to 20 years in prison. Zamora also said the shipment was linked to the Uraba Gulf Cartel, and the crew included former FARC members.

President Rodrigo Chaves praised the cooperation with Washington, saying Costa Rica would no longer serve as a major transshipment point for narcotics.

Authorities displayed the confiscated packages at Juan Santamaria Airport near the capital, San Jose, where military and police guarded the haul. The operation involved Costa Rica’s Drug Control Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA (NOVEMBER 28, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. POLICE OFFICERS AND MILITARY PERSONNEL GUARDING SEIZED COCAINE AT JUAN SANTAMARIA AIRPORT

2. VARIOUS OF SEIZED COCAINE

3. (LEFT) COSTA RICAN MINISTER OF SECURITY MARIO ZAMORA AND (CENTER) COSTA RICAN PRESIDENT RODRIGO CHAVES INSPECTING SEIZED DRUGS

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COSTA RICAN PRESIDENT, RODRIGO CHAVES ROBLES, SAYING:

“Costa Rica sends a clear message together with the United States: they will no longer use our homeland as the world’s top transshipment point, because there are two nations committed to fighting this scourge.”

5. VARIOUS OF ARMED FORCES OFFICERS LISTENING TO PRESS CONFERENCE

6. SEIZED COCAINE PACKAGES

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MINISTER OF SECURITY OF COSTA RICA, MARIO ZAMORA, SAYING:

“A vessel carrying drugs was detected in our country’s waters heading north, we assume to Mexico or the United States. This vessel was sponsored by the Gulf of Uraba Cartel, which, integrating former FARC members, was transporting the drugs through Costa Rican waters.”

8. SEIZED COCAINE PACKAGES

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MINISTER OF SECURITY OF COSTA RICA, MARIO ZAMORA, SAYING:

“And it is precisely thanks to this joint effort that a U.S. Coast Guard vessel carried out the interdiction on the high seas, resulting in the seizure of four tons of cocaine, 346 kilos.”

10. VARIOUS OF SEIZED COCAINE PACKAGES

GOLFITO, PUNTARENAS PROVINCE, COSTA RICA (NOVEMBER 27, 2025) (COSTA RICA SECURITY MINISTRY – Access all)

10. ARMED FORCES OFFICERS HOLDING RIFLES (BLUR APPLIED BY SOURCE)

11. COSTA RICAN COAST GUARD (BLUR APPLIED BY SOURCE)

12. VARIOUS OF U.S. COAST GUARD SHIP

13. (MUTE) CRANE UNLOADING PACKAGES

14. (MUTE) MEMBERS OF THE COSTA RICAN DRUG CONTROL POLICE OVERSEEING UNLOADING OF DRUGS

15. (MUTE) CRANE UNLOADING BLACK PACKAGES

16. (MUTE) MEMBERS OF THE COSTA RICAN DRUG CONTROL POLICE CARRYING PACKAGES