Costa Rica Seizes Nearly 1 Ton of Cocaine Tied to CJNG Network in Largest 2026 Bust

Costa Rican security forces — the Dirección de Inteligencia y Análisis Criminal (DIIC), the Unidad Especial de Apoyo (UEA), and the Policía de Drogas (PCD), acting on intelligence developed with the U.S. DEA since early August — carried out a pre-dawn operation on August 16, 2026 in La Guácima de Alajuela. Officers stopped a vehicle carrying a Venezuelan national and a Nicaraguan national and found 66 kilograms of cocaine in a hidden compartment; a simultaneous raid on a connected residence in the Altamira sector uncovered 925 one-kilogram packages of cocaine, for a combined seizure of roughly 991 kilograms — the largest cocaine bust recorded in Costa Rica so far in 2026. Authorities said the trafficking network is believed to have ties to CJNG, which has used Costa Rican ports and territory to move cocaine and methamphetamine toward Europe and the United States. Costa Rica's Public Security Ministry said enforcement would continue: 'No vamos a parar ni de día ni de noche. Seguimos trabajando por Costa Rica' ('We will not stop day or night. We continue working for Costa Rica').