Agents from the Drug Control Police (Spanish initials: PCD) in Costa Rica recently seized approximately 308 kilograms of powder cocaine hydrochloride aboard a cargo ship that arrived from Colombia. Just hours after the PCD made the bust, the Ministry of Public Safety (MSP) posted 16 detailed photographs and a video of the operation, right down to the moment the drugs are flown to the Central Valley to be processed as evidence and further destruction.

Written reports by the MSP confirm what is seen on the video and photos: PCD officers found a suspicious structure near the bow of the ship; said structure was opened to reveal the drugs, which were stamped with “A-87” as a logo. The evidence was flown aboard aircraft from Vigilancia Aerea (Air Surveillance), a special unit of the MSP.

In the wake of high-profile narcotics incidents such as the airlift of nearly 24 tons of cocaine by the United States Air Force to Miami and the sinking of the fishing vessel Capitan Erson by the USS Rentz missile frigate, the MSP is giving people in Costa Rica a chance to observe its drug enforcement operations. To this end, the MSP is using Facebook extensively, but its YouTube account is gaining popularity. The MSP also has Twitter and Flickr accounts.

The MSP has been focusing on being a more public and transparent force, particularly when it comes to matters surrounding drug trafficking. In 2013, the MSP has reported extensively on its drug enforcement efforts, and it has issued clarifications on the two high-profile incidents mentioned above. With regard to the U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster which picked up tons of cocaine at the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia (LIR), the MSP issued press releases and turned over documents that explained the curious operation. The MSP was also the first to report the sinking of the FV Capitan Erson in the high seas near the Galapagos Archipelago, which the U.S. Embassy at one point denied.

The administration of President Laura Chinchilla has been cautious on this issue; the President has supported some level of legalization across the Central American region for the purpose of avoiding the bloody consequences of the U.S.-led War on Drugs. The legislature in Costa Rica has also been cautious with matters related to the entrance of U.S. military forces to our country; in fact, at least one legislator is questioning the covert landing of the Spirit of Delaware a few months ago. For its part, the MSP is doing better on matters of transparency, reporting on enforcement operations to those who matter most: The people of Costa Rica.

Fuerza Publica, the national police force of Costa Rica, is also very active on Facebook, particularly when it comes to matters involving community policing. As previously reported by the Costa Rica Star, high-ranking Fuerza Publica officers are active on Twitter and even turn on the GPS features on their smartphones so that the public can see exactly where they are at all times.