Residents of an immigrant community mostly populated by Nicaraguan families in Costa Rica reclaimed a dwelling formerly used as a dangerous “bunker,” a crack house or drug den, after a police operation.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Public Security, officers from the Operational Support Group (Spanish initials: GAO) and from other tactical teams were assembled to raid the crack house after complaints from neighbors.

In Costa Rica, officers assigned to GAO are men and women trained in duties such as: crowd control, serving high-risk warrants, being part of special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams, public affairs, etc.

The raid took place in La Uruca, a working-class and industrial sector of the capital city of Costa Rica. Specifically, the crack house was located in the outskirts of La Carpio, a former squatter camp. The officers gained entry by taking down a wooden barrier; inside, they found an individual armed with a revolver and standing guard. The officers did not encounter resistance from this man, who was identified as a suspect in a robbery. No shots were fired.

Officers confiscated marijuana, cash and makeshift weapon from the crack house; they believe that other occupants may have been away on a resupply errand for crack and cocaine at the time. The officers also think that this crack house is part of a small network that supplies street dealers and also dabbles in robberies.

Once the raid was complete, neighbors of La Carpio came out to thank the officers and immediately set out to dismantle the crack house. Construction workers who come to Costa Rica as migrants brought out their tools and called associates to donate concrete blocks and other materials. The neighbors intend to turn the former crack house into a small public space for children and families to enjoy as they step out of their cramped dwellings.