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Drug Wars Push Deeper Into Costa Rica

Traffickers have used Central America as a stopover point since at least the 1970s. But the aggressive crackdowns on criminal organizations in Mexico and Colombia, coupled with strides in limiting smuggling across the Caribbean, have increasingly brought the powerful syndicates here, pushing the drug scourge deeper into small Central American countries incapable of combating it.

Most of the known cocaine shipments moving north, 84 percent of them, crossed through Central America last year, according to radar tracking data from American authorities — a sharp increase from 44 percent in 2008 and only 23 percent in 2006, the year President Felipe Calderónof Mexico took office and began his assault against the drug gangs in his country.

Responding to the pressure — and opportunity — the cartels have spread out quickly. Five of Central America’s seven countries are now on the United States’ list of 20 “major illicit drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries.” Three of those, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras, were added just last year.

At the same time, management has changed. Mexican cartels have taken over from Colombians in recent years, recruiting local gangs to help bolster shipments, increasing consumption by paying with drugs and expanding extortion and kidnapping networks to round out their enterprise.

“This is David versus Goliath,” said Marlon Pascua, Honduras’s defense secretary. “And we are David fighting the giant.”

The issue took center stage when President Obama, during a visit to El Salvador on Tuesday and Wednesday, announced a plan to fight organized crime in the region by strengthening civilian institutions and providing training for local authorities, weapons and equipment.

But such promises have been made before, and many Central American leaders are frustrated by the wait. Of the $1.6 billion in law enforcement support promised under the antidrug Merida initiative announced in 2007, $258 million was assigned to Central America. Yet only $20 million of it had actually been spent by April of last year, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Meanwhile, the problem continues to metastasize. American officials say the 2009 coup in Honduras kicked open the door to cartels, and this month the authorities there made a troubling find: a major cocaine processing lab, suggesting that the region was becoming not just a way station for drugs, but also a manufacturer.

Even once peaceful corners like Costa Rica are struggling with addiction, gangs and drug-money corruption. Without immediate help, said José María Tijerino Pacheco, Costa Rica’s minister of public security, “the region is going to degenerate into another Mexico.”

Overmatched Defenses

The American military’s map of suspected drug plane and boat traffic heading from South America to Central America last year shows scores of lines running north. On the Atlantic side is a pistol-shaped arc of flights: the handle is the Venezuela-Colombia border and the barrel is pointed at Honduras’s Caribbean coast. On the Pacific side, the tracks show mostly boats — with dozens of lines heading from Colombia to an area of Costa Rica famous for fishing.

Both routes are increasingly popular: suspected drug flights to Honduras spiked to 82 last year, up from only 6 in 2006; in Costa Rica, there were 100 “maritime events,” up from just 12 five years ago.

The patterns reveal how drug traffickers exploit the region’s geographic, political and economic vulnerabilities. In Honduras, the coast northeast of San Pedro Sula offers a remote, largely uninhabited rainforest that is perfect for the single-engine planes traffickers use, then hide or burn to destroy the evidence.

One former smuggler said he had little trouble moving cocaine loads for years. He said he collected pound after pound from planes and then drove it by boat or car to the Guatemala border, without once being caught.

“We always got it through,” he said, withholding his full name for fear of reprisals.

Honduran officials hardly dispute such claims, saying the radar system they would need to closely track the planes would cost $30 million, and even then, they would need helicopters and other equipment to quickly intervene. The coup only made matters worse, because the Honduran military was diverted to containing street protests and American officials suspended anti-narcotics aid in response to the political crisis.

 

Costa Rica Fishing Information

Costa Rica offshore deep sea fishing here the past months of January through May of 2011 were truly fantastic reports with an unbelievable Marlin Bite this season. Anglers this Costa Rica fishing season were delighted to have been treated to some outstanding days on the water here in Quepos and Los Suenos. The fishing reports here in Quepos were outstanding for those clients seeking Marlin. The Quepos Marlin fishing bite was terrific and expected to remain through the Month of December. Both Offshore for Marlin, Pacific Sailfish, Wahoo, Dorado and Tuna or whether you are bottom fishing for Giant Cubera Snapper and Amberjack, or Inshore fishing for the Prize Fighting Roosterfish, or also inshore with lots of action with Red Snapper, Spanish Mackerel and Snook, your needs will be met with Quepos Fishing. With the weather returning to our green season the fishing is sure to be terrific for the coming months. If you are looking for the Catch of a Lifetime in Costa Rica then call today to book your adventure. We live here in Manuel Antonio and are on the docks everyday offering you the boats that consistently have the top Quepos Fishing Report. We offer our boats that are heading out every day throughout Costa Rica offering the best selection in every destination. For those of you who are seeking Marlin, Pacific Sailfish, Wahoo, Dorado and Tuna, we have the destination and Quepos Fishing Charter for you. For those seeking Inshore fishing for Roosterfish, Snapper and Snook, you have again chosen the number one destination in Costa Rica. For those Costa Rica Fly Fisherman, Quepos Costa Rica offers so many Costa Rica fly fishing opportunities for several species, in the Estuaries, Rivers, Inshore and Offshore. Let Quepos Fishing blow you away with transfers, accommodations, tours and the Best Sport Fishing Costa Rica has to offer. Again with Marina Pez Vela making its home here in Quepos, the state of the art facility offers everything a boat owner could wish for. If you are thinking about bringing your fishing vessel to Costa Rica then Marina Pez Vela is worth the consideration for your marina slip. This is just the start to an exciting Costa Rica Fishing Trip.

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Pacific Costa Rica

This soft adventure vacation reveals the best of Costa Rica's Pacific coast in style. Explore Corcovado National Park from a luxurious lodge overlooking the ocean. Snorkel Cano Island and raft the beautiful Savegre River canyon. Conclude your adventure at the magnificent beaches and stunning wildlife of Manuel Antonio National Park.

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