Two Nicaraguans held with 1,196 kg of marijuana off Sierpe
Costa Rican coast guards detained two Nicaraguan men in waters off Sierpe de Osa on Sunday 11 June 2023 with 1,196 kg of marijuana. A joint operation with Colombia and the United States also seized their boat, 15 empty fuel drums and two outboard motors, and the men were placed at the Public Ministry's disposal.
🇨🇷 Waters off Sierpe de Osa, Osa canton, Puntarenas · Costa Rica
Two Nicaraguan men were detained on Sunday while carrying more than a tonne of
marijuana through waters off Sierpe de Osa.[1]Both suspects held Costa Rican
refugee cards.[1]Vice-minister Manuel Jiménez Steller said neither suspect,
surnamed Homfret Henry, 34, and Pineda Rocha, 42, had a criminal record in the
country.[1]The same surnames and ages were given in a second account of the
interception.[2]
At a press conference on Monday morning, the vice-minister confirmed a final
weighing of 1,196 kilograms of marijuana in 55 bundles.[1]The interdiction
also confiscated the vessel, 15 empty fuel drums and two outboard motors.[1]The Public Security Ministry confirmed the 1,196-kilogram load and said it
apparently came from Colombia.[2]The boat was stopped in a joint operation by
authorities from Colombia, Costa Rica and the United States.[2]
The suspects tried to throw the cargo of 44 bundles into the sea but were
stopped by coast guard officers after a short chase.[2]After their arrest the
two crew members were handed over with the seized load to the coast guard naval
base at Puerto Quepos.[2]The two men were placed at the Public Ministry’s
disposal, and the vice-minister said their situation was being verified.[1]Asked when the men had been granted refugee status, the vice-minister declined
to give that detail.[1]
Photos and video
The article's photo for the Osa seizure, captioned only 'Decomiso de droga en Osa' (drug seizure in Osa); no photo credit was published.Photo details
The interception is described only as occurring on Sunday; 11 June 2023 is inferred from the Monday 12 June reporting and the confirmation of the weighing.
The vice-minister's weighing gives 55 bundles while the second account describes a cargo of 44 bundles; the bundle count is left out of figures.
No charges or court outcome for the two men were reported.
The article's photo is captioned only 'Decomiso de droga en Osa' with no credit, so it is linked without a named photographer.
The second account embeds a short Public Security video of the interception, but the post's full address could not be recovered from the opened page, so no video entry is listed.
The refugee status of both suspects was confirmed in reporting, but not when it was granted or any effect it may have had.
The precise interception point is not given; coordinates are for the Sierpe locality, not the boarding position.
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.
