Drug traffickers are pushing deadly violence to record levels in a tranquil corner of Latin America

[Judi Lynn]

CHRISTOPHER WOODY JAN 20, 2018, 04.36 AM

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Homicides in Costa Rica hit a record level in 2017, as 603 people were killed - 25 more than the 578 homicides in 2016, a record at the time.

This continues a climb seen since 2012, when there were 407 killings.

Costa Rica, home to about 5 million people, closed 2017 with a homicide rate of 12.1 per 100,000 people. While that is just a fraction of the homicide rates in Central America's Northern Triangle - Guatemala, 26.1 homicides per 100,000 people; Honduras, 42.8 per 100,000; and El Salvador, 60 per 100,000 - it is the highest that Costa Rica has ever seen and more than double the rate registered in the US.

Central America is among the most violent regions in the world , and much of the violence is related to gangs and drug-related crime. While the security situation in Costa Rica is much different than other countries in the region, many of the killings there during the past year were attributed to drugs and drug trafficking.

More:
https://www.businessinsider.in/Drug-traffickers-are-pushing-deadly-violence-to-record-levels-in-a-tranquil-corner-of-Latin-America/articleshow/62575986.cms