Residents and visitors in the Caribbean communities of Costa Rica have gotten used to seeing the bilingual and courteous Tourism Police officers riding past on their high-performance bicycles and wearing their stylish white polo shirts, but in the past few weeks they have seen them dismount, spring to action and take down suspects.

Marijuana Smuggling in Pococi

On November 22^nd and in the Pococi canton of the province of Limon, Tourism Police officers gathered intelligence about a public transportation smuggling route and set up a checkpoint along the bus route going from Cuatro Esquinas (Four Corners) to Pavona. The officers noticed passengers suspiciously shifting seats, but they already knew the score and headed towards the back. Hidden behind the unoccupied back seats, the officers found about a quarter of a kilogram of marijuana ready for retail. Drug traffickers in Costa Rica tend to have mixed results when it comes to using public transportation.

Illegal Guns, Knives and Ammunition

Also in the Pococi canton, Tourism Police officers on foot patrol noticed a man openly carrying a firearm. The officers approached the suspect and relieved him of his weapon and five rounds, which were not registered under the laws of Costa Rica. The Nicaraguan man was taken to the prosecutor’s office in Pococi for processing and speedy trial proceedings under the in flagrante delicto doctrine.

In downtown Limon, Tourism Police officers walking the beat near the busy Caribbean Bus Terminal noticed a suspicious man carrying a large unsheathed knife with a blade larger than four inches and a machete-style handle. The knife was immediately confiscated and the man was invited to talk to prosecutors about getting his “cutting tool” back.

Fugitive in Puerto Viejo

Near the commercial strip of Puerto Viejo, Tourism Police officers on bike patrol noticed a man who matched the description of someone wanted by the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ). Since the man was wanted on firearm violations, the officers took precautions and donned bulletproof vests as they dismounted their bikes and initiated pursuit on foot. They took the man down, identified him as the wanted suspect and transferred him to the OIJ detention center in Bribri.

The actions above were all reported by Fuerza Publica, the national police force of Costa Rica. In recent months, the Tourism Police Caribbean detachment has intensified operations after opening a new operations center as well as receiving new vehicles, equipment and personnel.