Police seize five capybaras and crack cocaine after car chase
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment woman is dragged away and mauled by safari park tiger after getting out of her car, thinking they had left the enclosure
This is the terrifying moment a woman was dragged away and mauled by a tiger at a Chinese safari park, after thinking they had left the enclosure. Haunting CCTV footage taken at Badaling Wildlife World in Beijing, China, showed the woman, who was not named, walking out of her silver car before the big cat pounces on her. In the blink of an eye, she was dragged away by the powerful beast. Her husband was seen jumping out of the car and running after her, while an older woman left the back seat and did the same. A 4x4 vehicle, apparently a safari car, pulled up behind the woman's car and drove towards the ongoing situation. According to local media report at the time of the 2016 incident, the younger woman believed they had exited the enclosure and left the vehicle,which was inhabited by three adults and one child. As she did so, she was dragged away by the wild animal. Upon seeing this, the older woman ran out but was reportedly mauled to death and dragged away by a second tiger. She tragically died at the scene, while the younger woman was taken to hospital to treat her serious injuries. As she remonstrates further, a huge tiger is ready to pounce behind her at the Badaling Wildlife World Initially it was thought the family were fighting in the car, hence the reason for getting out, but according to local reports they simply thought they had left the enclosure. Relatives have denied there was any fighting, reports the South China Morning Post, and colleagues of the husband who was also in the car said the family thought they had already left the wildlife park. The man is also understood to have tried to rescue his family members, while the child stayed in the car. The 6,000 acre park, which allows people to either drive themselves or join a tour, tells people not to leave their vehicles at any point. The family were eventually rescued by Badaling's staff, but there was nothing that could be done for the mother while the daughter is still receiving treatment for her injuries. Last year, a farmer in China narrowly escaped a wild tiger attack that was captured on heart-stopping surveillance footage. Residents of north China 's Heilongjiang province were warned to stay inside after two men were viscously attacked by loose Siberian tigers - prompting a state of emergency as authorities hunted for the fugitive animal with infrared cameras and drones, Sixth Tone reported. But one man in Boli County was given the fright of his life after he had a dangerously close encounter with the tiger - the first one that has been spotted in the area - as he went to check on the animal's whereabouts. The one-minute video clip showed the retiree stepping out of his front door at around 6am Monday morning before heading further into his yard and closer to his large iron gate where a large animal flashed past. Seemingly unbothered, he was then captured bravely closing the gate, which the roaring tiger charged and hurled itself against just seconds later - rattling the entire structure and knocking it back open. 'I thought the metal gate would protect me from a tiger attack,' the man told local media. 'I wasn't scared until it pounced on the gate.' The man then rushed back towards his home - only slowing his speed and turning back around once he approached the safety of his front door, which thankfully left the tiger uninterested. 'I'm already 74 years old,' the man added. 'There's no way I could outrun a tiger.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
When animals fight back: The hunters killed by the very beasts they were hoping to slay and turn into trophies
They set out to kill - but ended up facing nature's most ruthless revenge. From the savannahs of Africa to the wild of Argentina, a string of hunters have discovered the brutal reality that the animals they stalk are not always willing to go quietly. These are the moments when prey turned predator, when instinct, speed and raw power tipped the balance and left seasoned marksmen with no chance of escape. Some were trampled beneath the feet of enraged elephants, their tusks and sheer bulk turning the pursuit into a fatal stampede. Others were gored by the lethal horns of Cape buffalo, known across Africa as 'Black Death' for their speed, cunning and explosive aggression. Even in South America, hunters have been decimated by experienced hunters who tried to turn them into trophies. These are not just accidents - they are a reminder that in the wild, the line between hunter and hunted can vanish in a heartbeat, leaving the pursuer facing a sudden and violent reckoning. Here we look at animals that fought back and made hunters their ultimate prey. Hunting chief gored In early October 2022, a hunting trip turned deadly for Mario Alberto Canales Najjar, 64, president of the Mexican Hunting Federation. The well-known lawyer and lifelong big game hunter had travelled to Argentina with three friends to pursue a massive wild buffalo at the Punta Caballos hunting estate, about 40 kilometres from Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos province. Armed with a .408-calibre rifle, Canales Najjar shot the animal, but it was not enough to bring it down. The wounded and enraged animal retaliated instantly, charging and goring him with its horns. The guide intervened, firing five additional shots that finally separated man from beast - but it was too late. The hunter, gravely injured, succumbed to fractures to his ribs and sternum and internal trauma before reaching hospital. Investigators quickly raised questions about the legality of the hunt. Documentation later revealed that the group held permits only for small game hunting. The hunt site had no active licence for buffalo hunting. Crushed by elephant In May 2017, Theunis Botha was crushed to death by an elephant that a member of his hunting group had shot. The 51-year-old South African was leading a group in Gwai, Zimbabwe, when they came across a herd of elephants in Hwange National Park. Three of the beasts made a move towards them, prompting Botha to fire his gun. A fourth elephant then came in from the side and whisked him into the air with her trunk. That was when another member of the group shot the animal. As it collapsed to the ground, it fell on top of Botha, crushing him to death. According to reports, Botha was a frequent traveller to the United States, where he would often go to convince wealthy clients to participate in trophy hunting. Botha worked for the Game Hounds Safaris company, whose hunts included using large packs of dogs to drive animals to hunters, who would then shoot them. He had been a big game hunter for 28 years and began as a college student, according to news reports. After news of his death broke, friends took to social media to post tributes, with some calling him a 'legend', while another said he was a 'world-class houndsman'. Although it is not clear which elephant killed Botha, the African bush elephant is the heaviest land mammal and can weigh up to 10,000kg. Herd's revenge Clyde Kleynhans had just shot a buffalo in South Africa and was getting ready to load its carcass into a truck. But what he did not expect was that a large male from the herd he had attacked would charge at him from out of the bush and gore him to death. Klyenhans sustained catastrophic injuries in the May 2018 attack and died quickly at the scene. The beast savagely tore into his femoral artery with its horns. The former policeman owned a professional hunting firm in the Limpopo province and was heading a hunting party when the incident occurred. Astonishingly, none of the other hunters were harmed. After his death, Klyeyhans was described as one of the best 'ethical hunters' in South Africa. Several pictures show him with some of the animals he had slain in the past, including several heads of what appear to be buffalo. Crocodile attack During a hunting safari in April 2017, on the Zimbabwe-South African border, Scott Van Zyl disappeared, triggering a huge search party. But when a crocodile was shot after a few weeks, authorities discovered that it had remains of the hunter inside it, confirming that he had been ravaged by the reptile. Van Zyl had gone on a hunting trip with a local tracker and a pack of dogs before he went missing. His fellow hunter, who raised the alarm, said they had gone their separate ways in search of crocodiles. Concerns were raised when the dogs returned back to camp without him. In the search for the hunter, authorities permitted four crocodiles to be killed. Subsequent DNA testing confirmed that the remains belonged to Van Zyl. After news of his death was made public, some people paid tribute to the father-of-two, while others criticised the circumstances surrounding his demise. Killed by bull Ian Gibson was a well-known game hunter in Zimbabwe, but in April 2015, he met an agonising end when he was trampled to death by an elephant. Gibson was leading a hunt in the lower Zambei Valley when his group decided to stop for a rest. According to Gibson's tracker, they went to follow the animal to get a closer 'look at the ivory'. When they were about 50-100 yards away from it, the animal suddenly turned and charged at them. The tracker, called Robert, said he had warned that the elephant was in musth, which refers to a deadly period where elephants have more testosterone than usual. Paul Smith, who ran Chfuti Safaris, the company that hired Gibson for the hunt, said: 'We know 'Gibbo' shot it once, from about 10 yards away, with a 458 [rifle]. He would never have fired unless he had no alternative. 'He was a hunter, yes, but he was also a magnificent wildlife photographer and conservationist. He was so experienced, and this is a most unexpected tragedy.' According to reports, Gibson had been a hunter for 25 years before the tragic incident. Blindsided attack In 2012, Owain Lewis, a British hunter, was killed by a buffalo he was trying to shoot in Zimbabwe. Lewis had been on the hunt for the animal for three days and was hoping to kill it after it was shot and injured by an American hunter he was escorting. Owen, described as 'very tough and experienced' was blindsided when the animal appeared from an undergrowth and charged at him. He also flung him into the air. Paul Smith, the owner of Chifuti Safaris, said at the time: 'It turned on him and attacked him and unfortunately the apprentice hunter with him could not shoot the animal as Owen's body was in the way. 'It was a very tough fight. Owain's neck was broken, but the apprentice did manage to kill the buffalo. We are very shocked. This is the first time we have had an incident like this. 'We have had so many messages of support from people who hunted with Owen. It is a tragedy.' He worked as a hunter on the private game reserve, but had owned his own ranch before it was confiscated by authorities in 2001. Mauled by lions In 2015, South African Matome Mahlale was among a group of five young men illegally hunting with dogs when disaster struck. The 24-year-old and his accomplices were confronted by two lions who came charging at them. While three of the men were able to cling to their lives by climbing up trees, another managed to escape. But Mahlale was not so lucky - he and two of the dogs were mauled to death by the lions. In the aftermath, the three men who survived the attack were not charged by the Limpopo Province police. Three years later, in 2018, a suspected poacher was eaten alive by lions near the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The attack was so gruesome that only his head remained, according to the police. A spokesperson said: 'It seems the victim was poaching in the game park when he was attacked and killed by lions.' 'They ate his body, nearly all of it, and just left his head and some remains.' A loaded gun and ammunition were found next to the man's remains, according to local media reports. In 2019, officials in South Africa described how a suspected poacher who was hunting rhinos was killed by an elephant and then eaten by lions. His remains were found in the Crocodile Bridge at the Kruger National Park. Trampled to death In August 2017, Jose Monzalves, an Argentinian hunter, was trampled to death by the very elephant he was trying to shoot in Namibia. The 46-year-old was on a hunting tour in a small town outside Karkfield when the incident occurred. According to local reports, the beast charged at the group Monzalves was with, catching them by surprise and leaving them no time to set up their weapons. He was with another Argentine and three Namibians when they were set upon by the animals. After his death, police said Monzalves, who was well known as a trophy hunter and worked for an oil company, had a hunting permit.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
El Salvador extends pretrial detention for 80,000 gang suspects 2 more years
El Salvador's Congress voted Friday to give government prosecutors two more years to hold the more than 80,000 people swept up under the state of emergency while they investigate alleged ties to the country's gangs. The Congress, controlled by President Nayib Bukele's New Ideas party and its allies, voted 57 to 3 in favor of extending the period of pretrial incarceration. Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado said that with the extension authorities could carry out more complete investigations, present solid evidence and win sentences against members of organized crime. Lawmakers also gave the government the option of extending for another 12 months if necessary. Improved public safety under the state of emergency has swelled Bukele's popularity, but the suspension of some constitutional rights and general lack of due process has drawn criticism within and outside El Salvador. Opposition lawmaker Claudia Ortiz of the VAMOS party, said Friday it showed the government's 'inability to deliver justice.' 'They've had more than two years to do a serious investigation of all of the cases and be able to take all of those detained to trial, and since they haven't done it on time, the (National) Assembly has to do a favor for the Attorney General's Office,' she said. Following an outburst of gang violence in March 2022, Bukele asked lawmakers for extraordinary powers to respond to a gang massacre. Among the rights the Congress agreed to suspend were the maximum time period take a prisoner before a judge, as well as fundamental protections like access to a lawyer. Since then, more than 88,000 people have been arrested for alleged ties to gangs, with 90% still awaiting trial. In July 2023, the Congress voted to give the government 24 months to prosecute a group of gang members. That period is up this month on Aug. 25. Delgado said the plan is to carry out hundreds of mass trials as they've been able to sort the accused into groups. 'This big quantity of people isn't going to be judged in one or two weeks,' Delgado said. 'It takes a considerable amount of time for the judges to receive the evidence that links each one of them and then later issue verdicts according to each corresponding law.'
