Yes. From what I read the estimated US Federal Drug Budget for 2023 will be 42 billion. The estimated annual drug market moves 600 billion which is more than the revenue of Amazon (514 billion). So, it does not seem that this is something that is going to end anytime soon. In the port town of Moin the Public Ministry recently demolished several houses that were built illegally and had a full-blown boat manufacturing facility and boat dock that were operating for years. The irony is that the Coast Guard station was around the corner.

Costa Rica sadly never took security serious they have open borders in the north and south plus police forces arent really prepared to fight the cartels, i think costa rica will end like ecuador hope not but doesnt look good.

Thank you for watching and commenting. Yes. We hope all the international attention on this issue results in the government developing a more strategic and coordinate response to it. We shall see.

Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment on the video. The only way to combat this type of issue is to focus on it and pressure the government to deal with it. Now that the international press is reporting on it has made them scramble to find solutions which is what we need.

Hi John. Thanks as always for your valuable input.

It already is out of control sadly, last year was the worst year for costa rica in terms of homicides 907 in total and they say this year will be worse.

There are still plenty of places in Costa Rica that you can still live in peace. To put in perspective the homicide rate for Costa Rica in 2022 was 12.2 per 100,000. Mexico is double at 25.2 and is one of the top retirement destinations for North Americans. Ecuador is 25.9, Colombia 26.1, and Honduras 35.8. In the US you have at least 20 cities that far exceed the rate in Costa Rica. Chicago is 28.6, Minneapolis 22.1, Atlanta 32, Las Vegas 23.5, Dallas 16.5, and Denver 14.1 (according to time.com) For the lowest rates in the world are countries like Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Qatar, Denmark, and Norway to name few. In Costa Rica, the Judicial Investigations Unit (OIJ) maintains a statistical database where you can search by place and type of crime. Here is the link pjenlinea3.poder-judicial.go.cr/estadisticasoij/#

@@CostaRicaLaw , thank you! I appreciate this info. Looking forward to my relocation seminar in Costa Rica to check things out for myself.

Im still going. I d say visit and stay a couple months and see what locas and expats on the ground say. I wouldnt judge America based on Chicago. Seems like San Jose is their Chicago

@@BibleSamurai yes I agree on the judging comparison of those two cities but I had other questions I raised and I do wonder how far this has expanded. Not worried, just curious/concerned a bit.

As others have pointed out your best option is to spend some time in the country to see if it is the right fit for you. There are areas that are very quiet and safe and not in the crosshairs of the drug wars. In El Salvador, the President has been able to implement radical changes because his political party also won control of their Congress where the laws are actually passed. He also has the highest approval rating, 91% of any President in Latin America. Our President Rodrigo Chaves also has a very good approval rating at the moment, 80% so the people support him. He does not have control of Congress which is splintered over several political parties.

Exactly. That is it.

@@CostaRicaLaw thank you kindly for the clarification on the political situation. Makes sense. Ah politics. Yes, I definitely would go there before moving there. Appreciate your information.

Yes that is a valid point you make. Not enough training, lack of equipment, lack of robust criminal justice system against sophisticated and well financed criminal organizations. Time to step up for Costa Rica.

It's very sad to see such a beautiful country sinking into the abyss. @@CostaRicaLaw

@@CostaRicaLaw I first found out about Costa Rica in the 1980s from a Chicago cop who said he went down here for some kind of DEA training. So you'd think this kind of basic stuff would be worked out by now.

Wont happen here, most people have been brainwashed from school that military is bad and to be honest we cant even maintain police cars and police helicopters how would we manage to maintain a military force.