Costa Rica makes biggest ever cocaine haul

A police officer is seen in front of packages containing cocaine seized during an operation in the Caribbean, as Michael Soto Rojas, Minister of Public Security, speaks to the media at the air base of the Ministry of Security in Alajuela, Costa Rica, 15 February 2020Reuters

Costa Rica has seen a surge in drug traffickers using the country to move cocaine to the US and Europe

Police in Costa Rica have made the biggest seizure of illegal drugs in the country's history - finding more than five tonnes of cocaine in a shipping container.

The drugs were hidden in a consignment of flowers headed for the Netherlands, AFP news agency quoted Interior Minister Michael Soto Rojas as saying.

A suspect has been arrested.

Central America is one of the main routes for cartels moving drugs from South America to the US and Europe.

When the authorities searched a suspicious shipping container on Saturday, they discovered 202 suitcases containing a total of 5,048 packages of cocaine weighing around 1 kg (2.2 lbs) each, AFP reports.

The arrested suspect is a 46-year-old Costa Rican.

A police officer carries a package containing cocaine seized during an operation in the Caribbean, at the air base of the Ministry of Security in Alajuela, Costa Rica, 15 February 2020Reuters

The packages of cocaine were stashed in suitcases

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