Colombia and Costa Rica clash over cocaine seizure amid regional tensions

The dispute comes at a time of heightened tension in the region, following the deployment of US naval forces in the Caribbean.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Saturday, October 11, that authorities had intercepted 2.7 tonnes of cocaine on a speedboat allegedly bound for Costa Rica. “Without killing anyone. Without firing missiles,” Petro wrote on X, claiming five Colombian nationals were captured alive. He described the operation as evidence of Colombia’s ability to combat drug trafficking without resorting to violence.

But Costa Rica’s Minister of Public Security, Mario Zamora, disputed Petro’s version. He said the boat was not heading for Costa Rica, as Petro claimed, and that the seizure was conducted by Costa Rica’s Coast Guard in cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Zamora also corrected the figures, saying 2.37 tonnes of cocaine were confiscated, and that the crew consisted of two Colombians and three Costa Ricans, not five Colombians.

In response, Petro insisted that “nobody is lying,” sharing an official statement from Colombia’s National Police asserting that the cocaine belonged to dissident groups of the FARC. However, the report aligned with Costa Rica’s version regarding the number of detainees, listing three Colombians and two Costa Ricans.

The disagreement unfolds as Colombia questions Washington’s military presence in the Caribbean, which the US says is part of its anti-narcotics strategy. Former Costa Rican president Laura Chinchilla urged both nations to restore direct dialogue, recalling a time when bilateral cooperation on security was “excellent.” Minister Zamora, however, was blunt in his response: “We talk to the DEA, not to Petro.”