Pubdate: Tue, 16 Jul 2013
Source: Tico Times, The (Costa Rica)
Copyright: 2013 Tico Times
Contact:  http://www.ticotimes.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5333
Author: Zachary Dyer

INACTION FROM COSTA RICAN LEGISLATURE LEAVES U.S. ANTI-DRUG PATROLS OUT TO SEA

Costa Rica's public security minister says the inability for U.S. 
joint patrol vessels to dock in Costa Rica sends the wrong message to 
drug traffickers.

United States Coast Guard and Navy vessels participating in joint 
drug patrols are left out to sea without permission to dock in Costa 
Rica after the legislature failed to take up a vote on the measure 
before going on break, the daily La Nacion reported on Tuesday.

Public Security Minister Mario Zamora said the patrols' inability to 
dock weakens Costa Rica's ability to combat drug trafficking in its territory.

"Protecting the national territory from organized crime coming from 
drug trafficking is a first-order duty, and the way we depend on the 
support of ships with patrol range beyond that of our own puts us in 
a position where we can't defend ourselves," Zamora told reporters 
Tuesday morning.

Carlos Ricardo Benavides, minister of the presidency, had strong 
words for Costa Rican lawmakers, who are currently on vacation: "This 
is not a result of the legislature being on break," Benavides said, 
referring to the story published in La Nacion. "This is a veiled 
attempt to impede the vote. It's a failure of our system."

Under Costa Rican law, armed vessels require a permit issued by the 
Legislative Assembly in order to dock in Costa Rican national ports. 
Some lawmakers draw a distinction between U.S. Coast Guard and Navy 
vessels that participate in the patrols, seeing the former as law 
enforcement and the latter as military ships.

U.S. Coast Guard and Navy ships need to dock at ports in the region 
to replenish fuel, food and to transfer evidence or suspects arrested 
at sea to local authorities.

The U.S. Embassy in San Jose told The Tico Times that they consider 
all vessels participating in the patrols, regardless of their 
affiliation, to be law enforcement.

"No matter the color of the vessel, the mission is a law enforcement 
mission," said embassy press officer Eric Turner.

On Tuesday afternoon, the public security minister reported that the 
Costa Rican Coast Guard, with support from a U.S. P-3 maritime 
surveillance plane, intercepted a boat suspected of carrying drugs 80 
kilometers off the coast of Matapalo at the mouth of Golfo Dulce.

This is not the first time U.S. anti-drug patrols have been held up 
by legislators. In 2012, the U.S.S. CARR could not dock in the 
Pacific port of Caldera after legislators from the Citizen Action 
Party filibustered a vote on its landing permission.

Last month, The Tico Times reported that U.S. National Coast Guard 
cutter Sherman canceled its July 2 scheduled arrival when legislators 
had still not taken action on its permission to dock.

According to information from the U.S. Embassy, over 5,000 kilograms 
of cocaine and 2,550 kilograms of marijuana have been seized or 
recovered when drug traffickers threw their cargo overboard thanks to 
these patrols between Jan. 1 and May 31.

The Assembly goes back into session on Monday, July 22.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom