Desperate times call for … desperate packing?

Officials with the Costa Rican Drug Control Police (PCD, its initials in Spanish) detained a Costa Rican passenger at the airport with seven packets of cocaine tossed into his carry-on luggage along with his clothes and other everyday personal items, said the Ministry of Public Security.

Yesterday, Tuesday, October 10, a 59-year-old man with the last name of Alvarado had his travel to Spain truncated by Costa Rican police monitoring activities at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in Alajuela, west of the capital San José.

The man, who has no criminal background or cases pending in the courts, is from Patalillo in the northern San José district of Vázquez de Coronado, and probably won’t be traveling for a while.

Alvarado was preparing to board a commercial flight en route to Madrid, Spain carrying – in addition to the cocaine – three thousand colones and 1,500 euros, said police.

The cocaine totaled 7 kilos 335 grams and was seized immediately by Costa Rican police.

The man was detained and sent to the corresponding public prosecutor’s office where he faces criminal charges for international drug trafficking, which in Costa Rica can carry several years jail time, said the ministry.

The neatly sealed drug packets feature a seal with the word “Nokia.”

Packing tip: Leave out the cocaine for a smoother voyage!