QCOSTARICA — The province of San José has logged 200 homicides this year and Alajuela is almost at 100 – an unprecedented amount, 2023 becoming the deadliest year in the history of Costa Rica.
In total, this year so far has recorded 826 homicides, an increase of over 44% compared to the same period last year.
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The figure could reach the ceiling of 900 annual homicides, as murders between gangs and those carried out by sicarios (hitmen), similar to those committed by Mexican cartels, are reported daily.
Authorities attribute this wave of unprecendent violence to drug trafficking, given Costa Rica’s location is strategic between Colombia, as a producing country, and the United States and Europe, as consumers. The Ministerio de Seguridad Publica (Ministry of Security) says that two-thirds of the murders recorded this year are attributed to gangs fighting for control of the operations of this criminal business.
“The number (of homicides) continues to grow and this places us at a turning point,” OIJ director Randall Zúñiga told a local radio station.
For his part, Costa Rica’s Minister of Security, Mario Zamora, said that there are no “magic” and short-term answers to confront this increase in crimes in the country, and that a series of measures will be needed.
Zamora, on May 10 of this year, replaced Jorge Torres as Security Minister.
Torres is currently the director of the Dirección de Inteligencia y Seguridad (DIS), the country’s intelligence (spy?) agency.
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