Costa Rica travel advisories

Hurricane season warning (North, Central and South America)

May 30, 2025, midnight wide area information

●Hurricane season in North America (Pacific and Atlantic coastal regions and southern regions) and Central and South America (Caribbean and Pacific coastal regions) usually runs from June to November. Please pay close attention to weather information on a daily basis and take precautions in advance, such as stockpiling disaster prevention supplies, drinking water, and food.

Security Information [July]

Aug. 14, 2025, 7:10 a.m.

San Jose Province: "Laundry drum thrown at moving car"
On the morning of July 3rd, a man threw a washing machine drum from a nearby bridge at a car traveling on National Highway 39 in the city of Desamparados. The vehicle was damaged, but the driver was not injured. There has been no precedent for a washing machine drum being thrown, and the motive is unknown.

"30-year-old man shot dead" (murder case)
At 4:30 AM on July 4th, the body of a 30-year-old man was found on a street in Aseri city. The victim had been shot and there were signs of beatings on his body. The victim was a driver for a ride-sharing service and had been missing since the night of the 3rd, and a missing person report had been issued. Police arrested two men and one woman who were in possession of the victim's belongings.

"37-year-old man stabbed to death" (murder case)
At 8:00 p.m. on July 4th, a fight broke out between two men in Centro de San Jose, and a 37-year-old man was stabbed to death by his opponent.

"Announcement of cyber fraud cases in the first half of 2025"
According to the Judicial Police (OIJ), there were 4,180 cases of cyber fraud in San José province in the first half of 2025, up from 2,209 in the first half of last year.

"Two men acting suspiciously arrested" (drug-related case)
On the night of July 12, police officers on patrol in the city of Aseri detained two men who were acting suspiciously and searched their car, where they discovered a gun with no registration number, 2 million colones in cash, and 3.8 kilograms of marijuana and cocaine, and the men were arrested on the spot.

"19-year-old man shot dead" (murder case)
At 1 p.m. on July 19, a 19-year-old man was shot and killed by two men while walking through a soccer field in San Sebastian, San Jose. The victim said he had been attacked several months earlier.

"Gunfire inside store leaves four people injured" (shooting incident)
At 8:00 pm on July 25th, several men broke into a store in La Carpio, San Jose, and opened fire on a 33-year-old man who was inside the store. Three other people who were inside the store were also hit by stray bullets and injured.

"Uncovering criminal organisations"
On July 29th, a group operating in the city of Pere Celedón and elsewhere that was involved in money laundering and drug smuggling was uncovered, and seven of the nine members were arrested. The group's assets are said to be worth 1 billion colones.

Limon Province: "Two male bodies discovered" (murder case)
On the night of July 2nd, a car riddled with bullets was discovered near a slum in the city of Limon, and the body of a 50-year-old man was discovered. A 22-year-old man's ID card was found inside the car, and the body of the man with the ID card was discovered on a cliff the following day, July 3rd.

"A total of approximately 12 kilograms of cocaine was found inside the container" (drug-related case)
On July 6, 12 packets of cocaine, each weighing about 1 kilogram, were discovered in the refrigerated unit of a container bound for France at the port of Moin in the city of Limon.

"156 kilograms of cocaine discovered inside a container" (drug-related case)
On July 7, approximately 600 cassava vegetables packed with cocaine were discovered in a container at the port of Moín in the city of Limón. The total amount of cocaine seized was 156 kilograms, and it was intended to be sent to the Netherlands.

"810 kilograms of cocaine discovered inside a container" (drug-related case)
On July 25, 810 kilograms of cocaine was discovered inside a container of bananas bound for the UK at the APM Terminal in the city of Limon. The container passed through two scanners but was detected by a drug-sniffing dog.

Puntarenas Province: "Drugs found in suspicious truck" (drug-related incident)
On July 8, police received a report of a suspicious truck in Barranca, Puntarenas. Upon investigation, they discovered that the truck had a double-layered cargo bed and found 450 kilograms of cocaine and 706 kilograms of marijuana inside. The two men in the vehicle were arrested.

"Fishing boat loaded with cocaine discovered" (drug-related case)
On the night of July 23rd, the Coast Guard discovered a fishing boat 200 kilometers off the Pacific coast of Quepos with 478 packets of cocaine hidden in a cooler box. Three crew members were arrested, one of whom reportedly had an extensive criminal record.

Alajuela Department: "Shots fired at police station" (shooting incident)
At 1:45 a.m. on July 1, two men on a motorcycle opened fire on the Los Chiles City Security Police Station. Police officers gave chase and exchanged gunfire with the group of assailants, resulting in the two assailants being shot and injured.

"26-year-old woman strangled to death" (murder case)
On the night of July 13th, a 26-year-old woman was strangled to death after an argument with her boyfriend (a 28-year-old Nicaraguan man) in Santa Eulalia, Atenas. This marks the 20th case of femicide this year.

"Exposing criminal organizations that launder money"
On July 17th, a criminal organization engaged in money laundering was uncovered, and eight of its 18 members were arrested across the country. The group operated 200 lottery shops, luxury car dealerships, liquor stores, and other businesses, mainly in northern Costa Rica, and laundered money through them. A house search was planned in the city of Guatuso, but the members noticed a judicial police vehicle waiting nearby and fled in a car. When they stepped onto the road, they opened fire on the police vehicle, and the police returned fire, killing the driver and two bodyguards. A man believed to be the leader of the organization was also in the car, but was unharmed.

"Delivery man shot dead" (murder case)
On the afternoon of July 19th, a ride-sharing delivery person was abducted by a group of assailants in a car while driving in the city of Alajuela. The assailants turned on the radio at high volume, shot and killed the delivery person, and fled.

"30-year-old man shot dead" (murder case)
At 7 p.m. on July 22nd, a 30-year-old man was shot and killed on the street in San Rafael, Alajuela. The victim was walking around his home when he was hit by a stray bullet and killed. The scene of the incident was reportedly one of several men opening fire due to a turf war between drug cartels.

●Carthage Prefecture: "28-year-old man shot dead" (murder case)
At 5:00 pm on July 7th, a 28-year-old man and his female passenger were shot by two men on a motorcycle while driving in La Union City, leaving the man dead and the woman injured. The victim was an auto mechanic, and the female passenger was a customer who was on her way to buy a car part. The male victim was killed by mistake, it is believed, for the owner of the car he was driving, who was reportedly the leader of a group involved in drug trafficking and murder.

Guanacaste Province: "Canadian tourist shot dead" (murder case)
At 11 p.m. on July 11, a thief broke into a rental house in Tamarindo, Santa Cruz. The Canadian tourist renting the house noticed the thief and stepped out onto the front yard, where he was shot and killed by the thief. The thief then fled with a smartphone and cash.


[Contact Information]
Consular Section, Embassy of Japan in Costa Rica
Tel: (506)2232-1255 Fax: (506)2231-3140
E-mail: japon-consulado@sj.mofa.go.jp
URL: https://www.cr.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_ja/index.html
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