Costa Rica on Wednesday set up two U.S.-donated mobile cargo scanners at Peñas Blancas and Paso Canoas, widening the inspection network at our busiest land borders as authorities try to slow drug trafficking and other illicit shipments. The rollout was announced during an event at the Peñas Blancas border post, where President Rodrigo Chaves appeared alongside U.S. Ambassador Melinda Hildebrand and Security Minister Mario Zamora.
One scanner will operate at Peñas Blancas on the Nicaragua border, while the second is being assigned to Paso Canoas on the Panama border. The government said the new units complete coverage across Costa Rica’s main ports and border crossings, alongside fixed or previously installed systems at APM Terminals, Puerto Caldera and the Gastón Kogan port in Limón.
The two mobile units were donated by the United States through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, with an estimated value of more than $2.5 million. Each system also includes a portable scanner to support non-intrusive inspections by border police. Authorities said the equipment can detect drugs, weapons, ammunition, explosives, cash and other suspicious cargo using low-energy X-ray technology.
Costa Rica’s Security Ministry said 20 border police officers received specialized training from the manufacturer as part of the donation so the systems can be operated safely and efficiently. The scanners are mobile and can be moved to other parts of the country based on police intelligence and operational needs.
Ambassador Hildebrand said the United States is also providing two handheld scanners and additional security support this year for Costa Rica’s Coast Guard, Air Surveillance Service and Border Police. She said the donation reflects Washington’s confidence in Costa Rican institutions and is intended to strengthen the country’s capacity to detect illicit cargo, fight organized crime and support safer trade and travel.
The move comes as Costa Rica continues trying to tighten control over export routes and transport corridors used by traffickers. Successive governments have talked for years about expanding scanner coverage at ports and border crossings, but full nationwide deployment remained unfinished. Earlier reporting had traced the scanner debate back to projects discussed since at least 2008.
Chaves used the event to turn the scanner launch into a political attack on the National Liberation Party, arguing that earlier PLN administrations failed to put similar systems into operation. He also lashed out at PLN Secretary General Miguel Guillén, who has challenged Costa Rica’s participation in the U.S.-backed Shield of the Americas initiative before the Constitutional Chamber. Recent reports said Guillén’s filing argues the agreement could conflict with Costa Rica’s constitutional ban on a standing army.
For the government, the message was that Costa Rica now has a fuller inspection net at the country’s main exit points. The larger question is how much impact the scanners will have once they are in regular use, and if stronger screening can disrupt trafficking networks without slowing legal trade at some of the country’s busiest crossings.
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