Costa Rica: Safety Information (August Homicides and Drug-Related Incidents)

San José Province

• “27-Year-Old Man Shot Dead” (Murder) On August 1st at 4:00 AM, in the Centro district of San José city, three people walking on the street were shot by a group of men. A 27-year-old man was killed, and a 37-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man were injured.
• “32-Year-Old Man Stabbed to Death” (Murder) On August 5th at 11:53 PM, in Barrio México, San José city, a 32-year-old homeless man was stabbed to death during a fight with other homeless individuals. The victim was a Nicaraguan man.
• “Robbery Attempt at Pawn Shop” (Shooting Incident) On August 7th at 2:16 PM, a robbery attempt occurred at a pawn shop in Tibás city. The two perpetrators arrived on a motorcycle and threatened two people inside the store. One of the perpetrators tried to fire a gun, but it malfunctioned, and the store clerk shot at the perpetrators. The robbers attempted to flee on the motorcycle but collided with a car and were soon arrested. One of the robbers was injured, and several bullets hit a car parked near the pawn shop.
• “Marijuana Cultivation in Backyard” (Drug-Related Incident) On August 9th at 5:00 AM, in Plar, Goicoechea city, police responded to a domestic violence report. Upon detecting the smell of marijuana from a man who came out of his home, police searched the house and discovered 120 marijuana plants being cultivated in the backyard.
• “Theft from Drug Enforcement Warehouse” (Theft) On August 18th at 8:00 PM, two thieves broke into a warehouse of Costa Rica’s drug enforcement agency in La Raulka, San José city, stealing two luxury cars and two motorcycles. The warehouse contained vehicles, motorcycles, boats, and electronics seized from drug organizations and criminal groups, with only one security guard present.
• “34-Year-Old Man Shot Dead” (Murder) On August 21st in the morning, inside a gym in Barrio México, San José city, a 34-year-old man was shot dead. Two perpetrators arrived on a motorcycle, and one dismounted and fired into the gym.
• “55-Year-Old Man Stabbed to Death” (Murder) On August 23rd, in Priscilla city, a 55-year-old man was found dead in his home. He had been missing since August 18th, and his family found him. The victim had been stabbed multiple times.
• “43-Year-Old Man Found Dead” (Murder) On August 26th, a 43-year-old man who had been missing since August 23rd was found dead by a river in Pérez Zeledón city. The victim, a white taxi driver, had gone missing after picking up a passenger on August 23rd and heading to the Buenos Aires district. His vehicle has not been found.

Limón Province

• “30-Year-Old Man Stabbed to Death” (Murder) On August 4th at 4:00 AM, in Pococí city, a 30-year-old man intervened in a heated argument between his sister and her husband. He was stabbed by his brother-in-law and soon died.
• “36-Year-Old Man Shot Dead” (Murder) On August 16th at 4:00 PM, in Limón city, a 36-year-old man was shot dead by multiple men in another vehicle when he returned home. The victim was a lawyer for a criminal organization leader who had been on the run but was arrested in June of this year.
• “33-Year-Old Man Shot Dead” (Murder) On August 17th at 11:38 PM, on the streets of Matina city, a 33-year-old man was shot dead. He was with multiple friends when two perpetrators from a nearby banana plantation targeted him specifically and fled.
• “62-Year-Old Man Poisoned” (Murder) On August 19th at noon, in Guácimo city, a 62-year-old man died, and his 56-year-old partner confessed to poisoning him. The suspect had previously poisoned a partner and served a 20-year sentence.
• “Colombian Drug Transporter Arrested” (Drug-Related Incident) On August 23rd, U.S. aircraft alerted the coast guard to a suspicious boat entering Costa Rican waters. The coast guard discovered the boat 92 kilometers off Limón city and arrested the five crew members (all Colombians). Approximately 590 kilograms of cocaine were found on board.

Puntarenas Province

• “Shooting Incident in Front of National Hospital” (Shooting Incident) On August 11th at night, a shooting occurred in front of the national hospital in Puntarenas city, with bullets hitting parts of the hospital. No injuries were reported. The hospital and patients were not the targets; a member of a drug organization at a nearby bar was the intended target, and the shooting spilled over to the hospital.
• “Drugs Found on Suspicious Boat” (Drug-Related Incident) On August 10th, about 2.7 tons of drugs were found on a boat hidden at the mouth of the Cielpe River in Osa city. The discovery was made following a report of a suspicious boat. Marijuana (2,451 kg) and cocaine (246 kg) were seized from the boat.
• “Marijuana Found on Suspicious Boat” (Drug-Related Incident) On August 27th, the coast guard received a report from the U.S. government about a suspicious boat 260 kilometers off Punta Brava, Osa city. They arrested three crew members (Colombian, Nicaraguan, Costa Rican) and found 736 kilograms of marijuana on board. The Costa Rican crew member had a history of illegal possession of firearms, robbery, extortion, and drug possession.

Alajuela Province

• “27-Year-Old Inmate Stabbed to Death” (Murder) On August 9th at 5:43 PM, a fight broke out inside the La Reforma prison in Alajuela city, resulting in a 27-year-old inmate being stabbed to death.
• “Trailer Robbery; 3 Suspects Arrested” (Robbery) On August 24th in the morning, a trailer carrying over 500 LCD TVs was robbed in Alajuela city. The driver was bound and left inside the truck. Police soon found the stolen cargo and arrested three suspects. Five additional suspects are still at large.
• “25-Year-Old Man Shot Dead” (Murder) On August 25th at 9:30 PM, in a store in downtown Alajuela city, a 25-year-old man was shot dead by the store owner after attempting to shoplift and threatening the owner with a knife.
• “34-Year-Old Woman Shot Dead” (Murder) On August 27th at 12:45 PM, in San Carlos city, a 34-year-old woman was shot dead by her husband. The perpetrator, who had a restraining order against him, entered the house and fired. The woman’s cousin and acquaintance, who were fixing the refrigerator, subdued the perpetrator.

Cartago Province

• “25-Year-Old Man Found Dead” (Murder) On August 22nd at 3:00 AM, a group of five armed men broke into a house in Río Azul, La Unión city, killing a 32-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman (Nicaraguan) inside the house. The incident led to a shootout with local criminal groups, and a 25-year-old man’s body was found 200 meters away. He is believed to be one of the perpetrators.

Guanacaste Province

• “30-Year-Old Man and 19-Year-Old Woman Shot Dead” (Murder) On August 20th in the early morning, in Nosara, Nicoya city, a 30-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were shot dead in their home by two intruders. The incident is believed to be related to drug trafficking disputes. The female victim was reportedly involved with a drug trafficking member.