The president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, inaugurated the new drug detection scanners that will operate in the ports of Moín, (Atlantic) Puntaarenas and Caldera (Pacific). The equipment is part of a donation from the United States and funds from the local Ministry of Public Security.
“This government has armored all the country’s ports with scanners to further strengthen the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime. Our alliance with the United States of America is bearing real fruit: A donation of USD 19.5 million and ?798 million (1.5 million dollars) in public works from the Ministry of Public Security, allowed us to install scanners in Caldera and in the Gastón Kogan Port in Limón,” stated the Costa Rican presidency.
“Operation Sovereignty has allowed the seizure of 15,242 kg of cocaine, the arrest of 42 people, and a reduction of up to 70% in drug seizures in Europe, which were departing from Costa Rica,” added the presidency.
The equipment will be placed in the Port of Caldera, the location where the inauguration took place, as well as in Puntaarenas and the Gastón Kogan Terminal. In these port centers, the machines have not yet entered into service pending calibrations.
“These scanners are installed, ready, adjustments need to be made. It is very high-level technology, it even has Artificial Intelligence (AI). They need to be calibrated, they will be in full operation in two weeks,” said Chaves in Caldera.
