The Air Surveillance Service (SVA) of Costa Rica's Public Security Ministry on Monday unveiled a new airplane meant to assist in anti-drug operations.Â
Plantations and packers of products such as pineapple and cassava operate in the Northern Zone, regularly employing undocumented migrants from neighboring Nicaragua.Â
Migrants, employed in Costa Rica as seasonal laborers, typically work long hours and live in cramped housing that make them more vulnerable to disease.
The Beechcraft King Air 250 aircraft was purchased largely through a $7.5 million investment from the SVA with significant support from the U.S. Government.
The embassy's donation will fund operations of the ministry's Air Surveillance Service – in particular, the special missions carried out using an aircraft seized from two drug smugglers.
