Data from that police force reflect that 65% of the 138,307 arrests made last year were related to drug possession and consumption, one of the crimes that most concern Costa Rican society for being directly related to violence.

Of the total number of arrests, 89,719 were for infractions of the Law on Narcotics, Psychotropic Substances, Drugs for Unauthorized Use, Related Activities, Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism.

In these seizures, which exclude those made by the Drug Control Police, police agents seized a little more than five tons of narcotics, mainly cocaine, of which they seized 4,177 kilograms, for 82,63% of the total, as well as 824 kilograms of marijuana and 54 kilograms of crack.

Regarding the money, statistics of the Public Force report that 289 million were seized in colones – around 490 thousand dollars – while around 565 thousand were in US currency.

Finally, the police force states that during these arrests, 2,52 thousand firearms, 854 non-lethal and 7,861 bladed weapons were seized, in addition to 1,673 motorcycles, 430 automobiles and 457 light load vehicles and others, which had been reported stolen or used in the commission of a crime. For Costa Ricans, violence is the third cause of their concerns, headed by the high cost of living and unemployment.

Violence here is directly associated with drug trafficking, as the highest percentage of the 656 homicides – a historical record – in 2022 were due to settling of scores, in events linked to the fight for control of territories and elimination of rival groups in the so-called drug dealing.

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