U.S. Coast Guard catches Costa Rican cocaine boat

A U.S. Coast Guard vessel nabbed a Costa Rican fishing boat carrying 3.5 tonnes of cocaine off the Pacific coast of Guatemala, a record haul in the region, police said on Monday.

Four Costa Ricans were arrested last Thursday aboard the fishing vessel after it was stopped in international waters, said Gerardo Lazcares, Costa Rican vice minister of security.

“We believe it is the largest shipment found in Central America,” he said, adding the Coast Guard vessel towed the fishing boat into Costa Rica’s Pacific Port of Puntarenas.