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[INTERNATIONAL] · Costa Rica, United States · 14 sources

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Part of situation: Costa Rica-U.S. cocaine transfer operation (2 clusters)

Costa Rica and U.S. coordinate transfer of 45 tons of cocaine for destruction

cocaine seizure narcotrafficking Costa Rica United States Air Force DEA

A U.S. Air Force C-17 military transport aircraft has been used to move approximately 45 tons of cocaine from Costa Rica to the United States for destruction. The operation, conducted at Base 2 of the Ministry of Security at Juan Santamaría International Airport, was a coordinated effort between Costa Rican authorities and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Costa Rican Prosecutor General Carlo Díaz stated that the transfer was necessary because budgetary constraints and limited local incineration capacity prevented the destruction of such a massive volume of drugs within the country. The shipment is estimated to be worth between $1 billion and $1.25 billion on the drug market.

The cocaine was destined for incineration at the Reworld Solutions facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. This massive seizure is part of a broader crackdown on transnational organized crime, with Costa Rica reporting approximately 46.5 tons of cocaine seized so far in 2025.

Entities

Carlo Díaz · Costa Rica · Drug Enforcement Administration · Laura Fernández Delgado · U.S. Air Force · United States

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

Decomisan 550 kilos de cocaína ocultos en cilindro de hierro en la frontera norte de Costa Rica [crprensa.com]
Avión de EE. UU. retira 45 toneladas de cocaína de Costa Rica para su destrucción [montecristinoticias.com]
Un avión de Estados Unidos se lleva de Costa Rica 45 toneladas de cocaína para su destrucción [noticias037.net]
Trinidad y Tobago detiene a tres venezolanos con un cargamento de droga en el Golfo de Paria [notifalcon.com]
United States Air Force Transports Massive Shipment of Seized Narcotics Out of Costa Rica [ticosland.com]
La Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos transporta un enorme cargamento de narcóticos decomisados fuera de Costa Rica [ticoslandia.com]
Trinidad y Tobago incauta drogas valoradas en 235 millones de dólares: detiene a tres venezolanos [2001online.com]
EE. UU. retira cocaína Costa Rica para destruirla [deultimominuto.com]
Avión estadounidense transporta desde Costa Rica 45 toneladas de cocaína decomisada [www.tn23.tv]
EE. UU. se lleva en avión 45 toneladas de cocaína desde un país latinoamericano: qué hay detrás [actualidad.rt.com]
EE. UU. traslada en avión 45 toneladas de droga decomisada en Costa Rica para su destrucción [diariocorreo.pe]
Embajada de Estados Unidos comparte fotos del envío de droga [www.diarioextra.com]
45 toneladas de cocaína fueron transportadas por avión estadounidense para su destrucción - La Opinión [laopinion.com]
US Military Plane Flies 45 Tons of Seized Drugs Out of Costa Rica [ticotimes.net]