Costa Rica seizes over two tonnes of cocaine from narco-submarine

REUTERS - Law enforcement officials in Costa Rica said on Thursday (August 02) they had recovered over two tonnes of cocaine from a low-profile boat found about 80 nautical miles off the coast, one of the biggest drug confiscations made at sea. Costa Rican authorities said they began an operation in the Pacific Ocean after receiving a tip from the U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday (August 01) that resulted in the discovery of about 2,000 packets of cocaine of about 1 kg (2.2 pounds) each. The drugs were found on a four-motor boat known as a low-profile vehicle (LPV) or a narco-submarine, a kind frequently used by drug traffickers because they are difficult to detect by radar. The Costa Rican coast guard service and drug control police said three Colombian men were arrested and remain in custody in Costa Rica. Within that total, 6.7 tons of drugs have been seized in the past 10 days.