US embassy cable - 05SANJOSE2809

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SAN JOSE 002809 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INL AND WHA/CEN 
JUSTICE FOR OIA, AFMLS, NDDS 
TREASURY FOR FINCEN 
DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION CONTROL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, CS 
SUBJECT: COSTA RICA INCSR REPORT 2005 - 2006 PART I, DRUGS 
AND CHEMICAL CONTROL 
 
REF: STATE 209560 
 
 1. (U) The text of Costa Rica's 2005-2006 INCSR Part I is 
below. 
 
Costa Rica 
 
I. Summary 
 
Costa Rica is becoming a major transshipment point for 
narcotics to the United States and Europe.  Costa Rican 
officials demonstrate professionalism and reliability as 
partners in combating ever-changing drug smuggling 
methods.  Costa Rican authorities seized a record 6,749 
kilos of cocaine and 49.38 kilos of heroin in 2005. 
 
Local consumption of illicit narcotics, particularly crack 
cocaine, along with the violent crimes associated with drug 
use, is a growing concern.  The Government of Costa Rica 
(GOCR) continued to implement a 2002 narcotics control law 
that criminalized money laundering.  Joint implementation 
of the 1998 bilateral Maritime Counterdrug Cooperation 
Agreement continues to improve the overall maritime 
security of Costa Rica.  The Counternarcotics Institute, 
created in 2003, enhanced its coordination efforts in the 
areas of intelligence, demand reduction, asset seizure, and 
precursor chemical licensing. Costa Rica is a party to the 
1988 UN Drug Convention. 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
Costa Rica's location astride the Central American isthmus, 
its territorial seas (which are 10 times larger than its 
total land mass and cover primary maritime smuggling 
routes) and its distance from Colombia make it an ideal 
transshipment area for South American cocaine and heroin 
destined primarily for the United States.  Costa Rican 
waters are highly vulnerable to the transshipment of 
illegal drugs in small go-fast boats refueled by larger 
boats posing as fishing vessels. 
 
Costa Rica has a stringent governmental licensing process 
for the importation and distribution of controlled 
precursor chemicals.  The GOCR cooperates against with the 
USG in combating narcotics trafficking, but budgetary 
limitations constrain the capabilities of its law 
enforcement agencies. 
 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2005 
 
Policy Initiatives. 
The 1998 bilateral Maritime Counterdrug Cooperation 
Agreement and the Coast Guard Professionalization Law 
passed in 2000 provide impetus for the professional 
development of the Costa Rican Coast Guard and improving 
maritime security.  The Costa Rican Coast Guard Academy, 
established in 2002, has thus far graduated 150 Officials 
(28 in 2005).  Costa Rica is the depository for the 
multilateral "Agreement Concerning Cooperation in 
Suppressing Illicit Maritime and Aeronautical Trafficking 
in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in the 
Caribbean Area" signed in 2003 in San Jose.  The Costa 
Rican Counternarcotics Institute develops an annual 
counternarcotics plan; however, resource limitations 
frustrate full implementation of the plan. 
 
Accomplishments. 
Close relations between U.S. law enforcement agencies and 
GOCR Counterparts led to regular information-sharing and 
joint operations.  As a result, Costa Rican authorities 
seized a record amount of illicit narcotics in 2005 (see 
below) and maintained compliance with its obligations under 
the 1988 UN drug convention.  On regional cooperation, the 
Mobile Enforcement Team (MET)-an interagency team 
consisting of canine units, drug control police, customs 
police and specialized vehicles inaugurated in 
2004-coordinated 8 cross-border operations with authorities 
in Nicaragua and Panama in 2005.  The MET carried out most 
of these operations without U.S. prompting. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts. 
The primary counternarcotics agencies in Costa Rica are the 
Judicial Investigative Police (OIJ) in the judicial branch, 
and the Ministry of Public Security's Drug Control Police 
(PCD) of the executive branch.  Other authorities include 
the Costa Rican Coast Guard, the Air Surveillance Section, 
and the 10,000-member police force. 
 
The OIJ operates a small, but highly professional, 
Narcotics Section that specializes in investigating 
international narcotics trafficking.  The PCD investigates 
both domestic and international drug smuggling, and 
coordinates most interdiction operations.  Both entities 
routinely conduct complex investigations of drug 
trafficking organizations, resulting in arrests and the 
confiscation of cocaine and other drugs. 
 
As mentioned above, Costa Rican authorities seized a record 
6,749 kilos of cocaine in 2005 while increasing seizures of 
crack by 30 percent and nearly doubling the eradication of 
marijuana to over one million plants.  Costa Rican drug 
police seized 881 kilos of processed marijuana and 49.38 
kilos of heroin in 2005.  In addition, Costa Rican 
authorities confiscated almost $800,000 in currency, 51 
vehicles and 41 firearms in 2005.  Drug-related arrests 
increased dramatically to 6,251 from 1,024 in 2004. 
 
Corruption. 
Costa Rica signed the Inter-American Convention Against 
Corruption in March 1996 and ratified it in May 1997. 
Unprecedented corruption scandals, involving apparent 
kickbacks to officials at the highest levels of the two 
previous administrations, were exposed in 2004 and tested 
Costa Rica's legal system throughout 2005.  Although the 
cases have not yet gone to trial, Costa Rica's commitment 
to combat public corruption appears to have been 
strengthened by these challenges. 
 
The GOCR aggressively investigates allegations of official 
corruption or abuse.  During 2005, at least six public 
security officers and 4 OIJ investigators were arrested on 
suspicion of involvement with narcotics traffickers. 
In addition, a judge and a prosecutor were fired along with 
23 other judicial branch employees for non-drug related 
offenses.  U.S. law enforcement agencies consider the 
public security forces and judicial officials to be full 
partners in counternarcotics investigations and operations. 
 
To the best of these U.S. agencies' knowledge, no senior 
official of the GOCR engages in, encourages, or facilitates 
the illicit production or distribution of such drugs, or 
the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. 
 
Agreements and Treaties. 
The 1998 Maritime Counterdrug Cooperation 
Agreement continues to serve as the model maritime 
agreement for Central America and the Caribbean. 
 
The United States-Costa Rican extradition treaty, in force 
since 1991, has been actively used.  Costa Rica ratified 
the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption and signed 
the UN Convention Against Corruption.  Costa Rica ratified 
a bilateral stolen vehicles treaty in 2002.  Costa Rica is 
a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 Single 
Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended by its 1972 
Protocol, and the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic 
Substances. 
 
Costa Rica and the United States are also parties to 
bilateral drug information and intelligence sharing 
agreements dating from 1975 and 1976.  Costa Rica is a 
member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and the 
Egmont Group.  It is a member of the Inter-American 
Drug Abuse Control Commission of the Organization of 
American States (OAS/CICAD).  Costa Rica signed the UN 
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the 
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in 
Persons, the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants, 
and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and 
Trafficking in Firearms. 
 
Cultivation/Production. 
Marijuana cultivation is extensive but low quality and 
confined to remote areas.  Costa Rican authorities 
conducted eradication operations independent of USG 
assistance in 2005.  Costa Rica does not produce other 
illicit drug crops or synthetic drugs. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit. 
The year 2005 witnessed a continuation of the trend toward 
frequent, smaller (50-500 kilos) shipments transiting Costa 
Rica in truck compartments and passenger car compartments. 
Seizures of such shipments increased in southern Costa 
Rica. 
 
The trend toward increased trafficking of narcotics by 
maritime routes has also continued with 11 incidents and a 
total of 3,620 kilos of cocaine seized at sea in 2005. 
Traffickers used Costa Rican-flagged fishing boats to 
smuggle drugs and to provide fuel for other go-fast boats. 
Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction). 
Costa Ricans have become increasingly concerned over local 
consumption, especially of crack cocaine. 
 
The Prevention Unit of the Costa Rican Counternarcotics 
Institute oversees drug prevention efforts and educational 
programs throughout the country.  In 2005, the Institute 
continued demand-reduction campaigns with posters in 
schools, universities, and pharmacies. 
 
The Institute and the Ministry of Education distribute 
demand-reduction materials to all school children. 
The MET team often visits local schools in the wake of a 
deployment.  The team's canines and specialized vehicles 
make effective emissaries for demand-reduction messages. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
U.S. Policy Initiatives. 
Specific initiatives include: continuing to implement the 
bilateral Maritime Counterdrug Cooperation Agreement; 
enhancing the ability of the Air Section of the Public 
Security Ministry to respond to illicit drug activities by 
providing equipment and technical training; improving law 
enforcement capacity by providing training and equipment to 
the OIJ Narcotics Section, the PCD, the Intelligence Unit 
of the Costa Rica Counternarcotics Institute, the National 
Police Academy, and the Customs Control Police; and 
increasing public awareness by providing assistance to 
Costa Rican demand-reduction programs. 
 
Bilateral Cooperation. 
Under the terms of the bilateral Maritime Agreement, the 
U.S. has invested $2.3 million to enhance mutual maritime 
security through the development of a professional Costa 
Rican Coast Guard. 
 
In 2005, the U.S. provided training, computer equipment, 
software and other equipment to the Ministry of Public 
Security, the Judicial Branch, the Costa Rican 
Counternarcotics Institute's Financial Intelligence Unit, 
and the inter-agency MET unit.  Total U.S. investment in 
Costa Rican law enforcement agencies was $414,000.00 for 
2005, and resulted in the seizure of over 6.7 metric tons 
of cocaine. 
 
The Road Ahead. 
The U.S. will continue to provide technical expertise, 
training, and funding to professionalize Costa Rica's Coast 
Guard and enhance its capabilities to conduct maritime law 
enforcement operations in support of the bilateral Maritime 
Counterdrug Cooperation Agreement. 
 
The U.S. seeks to build upon the on-going successful 
maritime experience by turning more attention and resources 
to land interdiction strategies, including expanded 
coverage of airports, seaports and border checkpoints.  The 
U.S. will continue to cooperate closely with the GOCR in 
its efforts to professionalize its public security forces 
and implement and expand controls against money laundering. 
LANGDALE