A vessel transporting drugs from Colombia was intercepted this Thursday 142 nautical miles south of Golfito, Costa Rica, in a joint operation that resulted in the seizure of over three tons of narcotics and the arrest of three suspects, according to the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S).
The boat, identified as "Ángel del Pacífico," was detected by a surveillance aircraft from the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) while traveling at high speed loaded with bales of red and orange color.
Once the vessel was located, the JIATF-S coordinated an immediate response: aircraft from Southcom and Panama maintained continuous aerial tracking while the Coast Guard of Costa Rica deployed its interceptors.
The elite Costa Rican unit GOPES —Special Operations Group of the Coast Guard— fired warning shots, recovered cargo that the traffickers had thrown into the sea, and managed to stop the vessel.
The seizure included 7,099 pounds of marijuana (approximately 3,220 kilograms) and 175 kilograms of cocaine, in addition to the three crew members arrested.
"Sincere gratitude to our partners in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama. Together we are stronger," published the JIATF-S after the operation.
The U.S. Southern Command retweeted the action and emphasized that "the most effective way to defeat the threat of narcoterrorism is through shared responsibility and collaboration among regional partners."
The operation on Thursday is not an isolated incident in that area of the Pacific. On July 10, a similar action 145 nautical miles southwest of Golfito resulted in the seizure of 5.4 tons of drugs —2.5 tons of cocaine and 2.75 tons of marijuana— with six arrests and the same combination of partners: GOPES, JIATF-S, Colombia, and Panama.
The maritime corridor south of Golfito has become one of the most active drug trafficking routes in Central America's Pacific, with Colombia as the point of origin and Central America as a stopover on the way to the United States.
Costa Rica, a country without an army, has strengthened its National Coast Guard Service to participate in these joint operations.
In 2026, the country has quadrupled its seizures compared to previous years, becoming a key partner of Washington in the fight against maritime drug trafficking.
These prohibitions are part of Operation Southern Lance, formally launched in November 2025 by order of President Trump and expanded in January 2026, which has intensified pressure on narco-terrorist networks in the Western Hemisphere.
The Hammer Campaign, active since 2012 with the participation of 21 nations, provides the multilateral framework for these operations.
On June 17, the JIATF-S and the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted an Ecuadorian drug boat in the Caribbean with 3,960 pounds of marijuana and two arrests, highlighting the ongoing pressure on these networks throughout the region.
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