Two held as nearly two tonnes of marijuana seized off Cabo Matapalo
Costa Rica's National Coast Guard intercepted a registration-free, flagless fast boat 118 nautical miles south of Cabo Matapalo and seized nearly two tonnes (about 2,000 kg) of marijuana, in a joint operation with the US DEA and the Colombian Navy. Two crew, an Ecuadorian and a Nicaraguan, were detained and taken to Golfito; the packages bore 'Made in Colombia. Lo mejor de Caro Quintero' stickers.
🇨🇷 Pacific waters 118 nautical miles south of Cabo Matapalo, Puntarenas · Costa Rica
Costa Rican authorities intercepted a fast boat carrying nearly two tonnes of
marijuana 118 nautical miles south of Cabo Matapalo, in the southern Pacific.[1]The operation was run by the Public Security Ministry together with the US
Drug Enforcement Administration, with support from United States and Colombian
authorities.[1]
The boat’s drug packages carried unusual stickers with images of Caro Quintero
and the character Gasparín (Casper).[1]Two tonnes of marijuana were seized.[1]
The vessel was located in a coordinated effort with the US Joint Interagency
Task Force South and the Colombian Navy, with a US aircraft in support.[1]The
security ministry said this was the second drug boat intercepted in Pacific
waters that week.[1]The boat was a registration-free, flagless fast vessel
fitted with eight fuel drums.[1]
Aboard were two men: an Ecuadorian with the surname Castillo Zambrano, who was
the captain, and a Nicaraguan with the surname Pictan Siu.[1]Both were
detained by officers of the Coast Guard’s Special Operations Group (GOPES).[1]The suspects, the vessel and the seized cargo were taken to the port of Golfito.[1]
Photos and video
The two tonnes of marijuana seized from the intercepted boat, with the 'Made in Colombia. Lo mejor de Caro Quintero' packaging. Photo: MSPPhoto details
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Source: La TejaThe two crew members detained aboard the intercepted boat. Photo: MSPPhoto details
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
2
Cannabis
2 t
Agency type
Coast guard, Anti-narcotics agency, Police
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis (2 t)
Setting
Vehicle
Case stage
Under investigation
Region
Puntarenas
Date
Publication date
Sources
La Tejalateja.crESDe Caro Quintero a Gasparín: los llamativos adhesivos que encontraron en lancha con casi dos toneladas de marihuana
Open questions the AI reported
No charges, detention ruling or court outcome had been reported; the men had just been moved to Golfito to continue the judicial process.
The boat's origin and intended destination had not been established.
No authority had said the shipment belonged to any group linked to Mexican trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero; the name appeared only on the packaging stickers, which the authorities are investigating.
The submitted La Teja account (the only fully captured source) states nearly two tonnes; corroborating Teletica and Infobae accounts give a final count of 1,923 kg that could not be re-verified from a locally captured copy, so the exact kilogram figure is not recorded.
An earlier interception of a boat named Pez Gallo off Sierpe de Osa on 8 November 2026 (two Colombians and one Ecuadorian) is not yet in the tracker; it is a separate event left out of this report.
Costa Rica's National Coast Guard detained two Ecuadorian men in a 38-foot go-fast boat 52 nautical miles south-east of Punta Burica and seized 2,648 one-kilogram marijuana packages at Golfito. The Public Ministry is deciding their legal situation, and no charges or court step have been reported.
Fuerza Pública officers seized nine packs and 158 doses of suspected marijuana plus cash at the Miraflores dike in Taras, Cartago, after three suspects fled. The mixed seizure also contained crack, cocaine, tusi and ecstasy and was handed to judicial authorities.
Costa Rica's National Coast Guard reported seizing 14,912 kilos of marijuana as part of more than 44 tonnes of drugs intercepted in maritime operations so far in 2026, with 66 people apprehended and 26 vessels seized. The South Pacific accounted for 24 interventions against one in the Caribbean, in operations the service attributed to joint work with the United States, Panama and Colombia.
Costa Rica's Fuerza Pública and Drug Control Police seized 524 marijuana packages, more than 250 kg in total, from a vehicle at a road control in Macho Gaff, San Isidro de El Guarco, Cartago. Two men suspected of transporting the load were handed to the Public Ministry, and the packages bore images of Mexican trafficking figures.
