Authorities Saturday nabbed an Israeli man with a backpack full of Ecstasy pills in what was by far the biggest Ecstasy bust in Costa Rican history.
The 31-year-old Israeli was caught at Juan Santamaría International Airport, just outside San José, with a fake Mexican passport and at least 18,400 pills of the synthetic drug in his backpack -- more than all the Ecstasy seized in Costa Rica in the past seven years combined, Public Security Minister Fernando Berrocal explained during a press conference yesterday.
The Isreali, identified by the last name Koren, had flown to Costa Rica from Spain. He was taken to the Alajuela Prosecutor's Office, northwest of San José, where he is being charged with international drug trafficking.
“We're very worried about this,” Berrocal said, adding that it appears the drugs were shipped to Costa Rica to be sold in the local market.
Berrocal said the drug, known as by the scientific name MDMA, was likely manufactured in labs in Europe. It's also known as the “love drug,” because it increases sexual energy, according to a statement from the ministry. |
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