San Jose, Oct 29

Costa Rican anti-drug authorities have seized 1,276 kg (about 1.3 tonnes) of cocaine from a speedboat in the Caribbean, the national investigative agency said.

The drug was found when after a chase the speedboat ran aground at Playa Negra, Cahuita, a municipality in Limon province, the OIJ investigative bureau said in a statement.

The occupants of the launch "ran away, leaving behind 45 packets...which contained approximately 1,276 kilos (2,810 lbs.) of the drug," according to the statement.

Officials also found identity documents, apparently belonging to some of the suspects, but their names and nationalities were not revealed.

Authorities have undertaken an operation to find the suspects.

With this confiscation, at least 16 tons of cocaine have been seized in Costa Rica in 2013.

By:IANS