Costa Rica's Historic Safety Shattered by Surge in Drug Killings.

Costa Rica has seen a surge in drug-related killings, with 657 homicides recorded in 2022, the highest number since at least 1990. The violence is centered in the Caribbean port city of Limon, where the murder rate is five times higher than the rest of the country. The majority of the murders are believed to be related to the drug market, which has seen homegrown smuggling gangs set up shop and use local ports to ship cocaine to Europe. The violence has largely affected young unemployed men who turned to the drug trade after 7,000 port jobs were lost in a 2018 privatization foreign contract.