Under a bilateral anti-narcotics cooperation agreement, approximately 44,697.13 kilograms (nearly 45 metric tons) of seized cocaine were transported from Costa Rica to the United States for destruction. The massive narcotics shipment was airlifted to Indiana aboard a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III heavy strategic transport aircraft.
The cargo was loaded under heavy armed security at “Base-2” of Costa Rica’s Air Surveillance Service, adjacent to Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela.
According to the Costa Rican Judiciary, the country lacks the industrial incineration capacity required to safely dispose of such an enormous quantity of narcotics simultaneously. Local destruction would have posed severe environmental hazards and security risks.
Following a court order, the seized illicit drugs were flown to Reworld Solutions in Indianapolis, Indiana, where they are scheduled for high-capacity industrial incineration.
