Costa Rica police seize 5 capybaras, crack cocaine and marijuana from fleeing vehicle

SAN JOSE Costa Rica AP Costa Rican police seized five capybaras crack cocaine and marijuana after chasing down a fleeing van on a highway along the Central American country s Pacific coast on Thursday 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 Population Assurance Ministry mentioned Thursday that possessing transporting or trafficking them is illegal The agency announced it had never recorded another seizure of the animals Two men in the van who both had criminal records were arrested The police action was major and shows the concurrence where the drug world coincides with the introduction of non-native species Safeguard Minister Mario Zamora explained 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 issued in Costa Rica so they will be taken to a refuge for environmental and conservation learning programs Source