As confirmed by the Costa Rican Drug Institute (ICD), 2016 was characterized by a greater presence of synthetic drugs or the type known as ‘gourmet’.
Products such as K2, synthetic cannabinoids or cathinones (known as bath salts) were the most common drugs seized by the authorities.
Drug traffickers are looking to innovate and differentiate their product in the market. As consequence, they are putting it into flashy wrappers and giving it common names,
declared Guillermo Araya, director of the institution, referring to the growth of these drugs.
According to the ofdicial, the perception of risk around drugs has decreased, specially to marijuana. The ICD informed that the seizure of marijuana grew 70% this year, compared to 2015.
Data from the ICD show that until October 2015, 323 doses of ecstasy and 158 of LSD had been seized. However, in the same period in 2016, those figures rose to 1,023 and 101, respectively.
This year, authorities discovered a cathinone known as ‘La Flaca’. It is a product that dissolves in liquids and produces hallucinogenic effects.
The ICD also highlighted groups dedicated to producing hydroponic marijuana in homes. Apparently, this would be related to subjects who prefer to explore other types of markets before entering into disputes with already-established, dangerous groups.