Costa Rican police seized five capybaras, crack cocaine and marijuana after chasing down a fleeing vehicle on a highway along the Central American country’s Pacific coast on Thursday.
The large rodents are a semi-aquatic South American relative of the guinea pig and happen to be having a moment on social platforms. But they are not native to Costa Rica, and the Public Security Ministry said Thursday that possessing, transporting or trafficking them is illegal.
The agency said it had never recorded another seizure of the animals.
Two men in the vehicle, who both had criminal records, were arrested.
“The police action was important and shows the concurrence where the drug world coincides with the introduction of non-native species,” Security Minister Mario Zamora said.
The capybaras were turned over to the National System of Conservation Areas to be evaluated by veterinarians.
As a non-native species they can’t be released in Costa Rica so they will be taken to a refuge for environmental and conservation education programs.
Earlier this year Peruvian police arrested a suspected drug dealer by disguising himself as a cuddly capybara.
A day before Valentine’s Day, an officer disguised himself as a stuffed capybara and descended on a street in the capital, accompanied by two policewomen carrying “gifts.” In Peru, it is common for people to dress as teddy bears and other characters to deliver gifts on special dates.
Police said the operation lured the suspect out of his house, where he was quickly apprehended.
Col. Pedro Rojas, Chief of the ‘Green Squadron’ division of Peru’s Police, which carried out the operation, said officers later searched the house and found a “large quantity” of cocaine as well as marijuana.
This operation was not the first in which officers from the squadron disguised themselves to arrest suspected drug dealers.
