Costa Rica Farm Search Seeks 10 Missing

File photo, March 2013: banana bunches hang at a packing station in Limón province, Costa Rica. (Photo: Heather, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

COSTA RICA · SECURITY

A Costa Rica farm search in the Caribbean-side town of Guácimo looked for the bodies of 10 missing people on Thursday 15 October. Police, prosecutors and trained dogs combed seven homes and the land around them in a banana-growing area of Limón province.

The case matters to foreign readers because police link the farm’s owner to a drug-smuggling group in a country popular with North American visitors. Costa Rica sits on a cocaine route between South America and the United States.

What Investigators Searched

Agents of the OIJ, Costa Rica’s judicial police, searched a property in Carambola, a rural area of Guácimo. La Nación, a San José daily, says the site lies about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from central Guácimo, among banana plantations.

The OIJ said seven homes were part of the Costa Rica farm search, along with the surrounding land. Teletica, a Costa Rican television network, reports that a canine unit and agents trained to find people took part.

The Ten Missing People

Investigators are looking for at least 10 people from the Pococí and Guácimo areas, both in Limón province on the Caribbean coast. Teletica says the missing have not been located.

The OIJ has not released their names, how long they have been missing, or how they disappeared. The Tico Times, an English-language news site in San José, also says these details were not made public.

Why Police Went to This Farm

Teletica reports that confidential tips and other investigative work suggested the bodies might be on the property. The OIJ said this still has to be confirmed through judicial proceedings.

La Nación reports that José Mena, the deputy prosecutor of Pococí, said the inquiry began after a warning about a possible grave. Prosecutors from his office joined the OIJ at the site.

The Owner and the Local Drug Network

La Nación reports that the property belongs to a man with the surnames Cortés Hernández. He was arrested in September together with a suspect nicknamed Coco Cigarros, and neither man has been convicted.

Police describe Coco Cigarros as the smuggling chief of an organisation tied to a leader known as Coco Guácimo. Coco Guácimo was shot dead by OIJ tactical agents in July, during the operation to capture a fugitive nicknamed Diablo.

File photo, December 2006: bananas, a leading export crop in Costa Rica, ready for packing. (Photo: Gail Frederick, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

What the Search Found

The Tico Times reported that, by Thursday afternoon, no remains had been found and no arrests had been made. La Nación’s evening headline then said prosecutors and the OIJ had ruled out a mass grave on the property.

Agents also inspected trucks and pickups for double floors and hidden compartments, La Nación reports. Such compartments are a common way to hide cocaine or marijuana.

The Wider Crackdown on Organised Crime

The Costa Rica farm search follows the opening of a prison for 5,100 inmates, covered in Costa Rica Opens Gang Prison for 5,100. A separate report explains how the country named nine narcoterrorist groups.

La Nación also reports that Costa Rica was due to extradite three Mexican men to the United States on Friday 16 October. They face a cocaine conspiracy case in Wisconsin after a 2025 boat seizure off Quepos.

What It Means for You

For US travellers, nothing in the reports points to a risk for visitors, and Guácimo is a farming area. The US State Department publishes a travel advisory for Costa Rica that readers can check before a trip.

For US readers following drug policy, the Costa Rica farm search is a reminder that cocaine routes through Central America touch rural communities. The case also shows Costa Rican police and prosecutors working on organised crime far from the capital.

What Is Not Known

The names of the 10 missing people, the date they disappeared and the reason this farm was chosen have not been made public. No one has been charged over their disappearance.

It is also unclear whether all seven homes belong to the farm’s owner, and whether the search will continue on Friday. Cortés Hernández and Coco Cigarros are presumed innocent until a court rules.

More: Costa Rica news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in the Costa Rica farm search?

On Thursday 15 October, OIJ agents and prosecutors carried out a Costa Rica farm search in Carambola, Guácimo, for 10 missing people. By the afternoon no remains and no arrests had been reported.

Where is Guácimo?

Guácimo is a farming town in Limón province on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. The search site is about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the town centre, among banana plantations.

Who owns the farm?

La Nación reports that the property belongs to a man with the surnames Cortés Hernández, who was arrested in September. He has not been convicted.

Is it safe to visit Costa Rica?

The reports do not point to any risk for visitors, and Guácimo is a farming area. Travellers can check the US State Department’s advisory before they go.

Sources: La Nación, 15 October 2026; Teletica, 15 October 2026; The Tico Times, 15 October 2026.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error