Drug trafficking blamed as homicides soar in Costa Rica

2/4/2023 6:41

        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.