Costa Rican cops intercept cocaine, weed—and 5 capybaras

RESCUED RODENTS The seizure of the five capybaras in an antidrug operation is a first for the Costa Rican police. —AP VIDEO SCREENGRAB

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica—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 semiaquatic 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.

READ: Costa Rica prison guards catch drug-smuggling purr-petrator

Dual offense

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 nonnative 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 nonnative species they can’t be released in Costa Rica so they will be taken to a refuge for environmental and conservation education programs.