Investigations carried out by Drug Control Police (PCD, its initials in Spanish) unit of the Ministry of Public Security led to the dismantling of 20 narco criminal structures operating in the country, said the ministry. These police actions took place from January 1 until March 15.

Fifteen of these narco clans operated locally, of which 8 were family-run groups. The remaining five narco operations worked on an international scale.

Drug police said they were guided in honing in on these narco activities by anonymous reports made via their free, confidential phone line: 1176.

Most of the groups had operations that were spread throughout the country.

In a continuance of anti-drug work, yesterday police raided properties in the northern San José district of Purral de Goicoechea that led to the arrests of six suspects, said Deputy Minister of Public Security, María Fullmen Salazar Elizondo in a public conference.

The suspected group leader, a 38-year-old Costa Rica by the last name Herrera, has been arrested several times previously by drug control police.

The group members, allegedly engaged in drug trafficking, have also been implicated in violent robberies and homicides, said the ministry.

The group’s activities had been reported on 20 occasions on the confidential drug police phone line.

Police seized a giant ball in which over 4 kilos of marijuana was hidden, as well as cocaine, crack, and, the latest in street drugs, ketamine.

The PCD also confiscated CRC951,000 and US$46 dollars in cash, as well as two firearms – one a 9 mm caliber pistol and the other a .45 caliber pistol – 62 bullets of different calibers, two cartridges, and four electric scales.

In late December, 2016, the Public Security Ministry reported having dismantled 115 narco structures throughout the year.