Security & Strategic Review - September 2021

In July Costa Rica’s security minister Michael Soto confirmed that the country’s authorities had seized 4.3 tonnes (t) of cocaine in a single seizure. This is the country’s second biggest single haul after officials found 5.48t in February 2020 at APM Terminals port of Moín hidden in a container due to be shipped to The Netherlands. It once again illustrates Costa Rica’s significance as one of the primary destinations in the region for the transit of cocaine, owing to its strategic location, long stretches of coastline, and the relatively small size of its security forces.