Between October 7 and November 7, 2019, Costa Rica has recorded 63 violent deaths – a murder every 12 hours – according to the OIJ (Organismo de Investigacion Judicial). They report a total of 476 homicides to date, an increase from the 413 homicides reported last year, despite an expanded police force and repeated pledges by the Minister of Security that homicide rates were going to drop.

What has caused this sudden increase in violent deaths at the close of 2019? Authorities believe the new crime statistics can be attributed to skirmishes between drug gangs defending their territories against rival gangs. This trend is especially visible in San Jose, Puntarenas, Liberia and Limon, areas the OIJ consider “vulnerable zones”.

Said Walter Espinoza, director of the OIJ, “The majority of the cases are against a single person. We have not detected connections between homicide victims. Seventy-five percent involved firearms and are apparently revenge driven, settling scores. The majority of the victims are men, aged 24-27 years, living in vulnerable zones.”

Authorities believe these homicides are directly related to the new upsurge in the flow of drugs through Costa Rica, following a recognized drug route from South/Central America, on the way to fulfill the insatiable appetite of the USA for illicit drugs. Said Espinoza, “Drugs are on the rise in our country. Increase in demand and consumption. With more demand comes more profits by drug gangs, and more need to protect their turfs against the threat of rival gangs. The consequence of this is often homicide.”
The most recent homicides believed to be related to drug gangs settling scores, occurred in Parrita, where two victims were found dead, apparently burned to death.

The increase in femicides in Costa Rica, murder of a woman by her lover/sentimental partner, is also of great concern to the OIJ. The 19-year old Eva Morera was murdered this month, shot in the back by her ex-lover and father of her child. Morera was herself an advocate for the protection of women against murder by ex-lovers. In December of 2018, Morera reflected upon the dangerous year it had been for women saying, “Today, I have taken the time to think about the wave of femicides that have happened this year; 2018 is about to end and 24 women have died at the hands of men, how many more are left to die in these last remaining 26 days of the year?”

According to the United States Embassy, “Crime is increasing in Costa Rica and U.S. citizens are frequent victims. While petty theft is the main problem, armed robberies have been known to occur even in broad daylight. American tourists and residents can also take steps to protect themselves.”

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