![In this Jan. 25, 2013 photo, U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilots navigate a P3 Orion Airborne Early Warning Aircraft while flying over waters near the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The Central American country abolished its army in 1948 and plowed money into education, social benefits and environmental preservation. As a result, Costa Rican officials say, the country cant battle ruthless and well-equipped Mexican drug cartels without U.S. help. The U.S. is patrolling Costa Ricas skies and waters and providing millions of dollars in training and equipment to Costa Rican officials who have launched a tough line on crime backed by top-to-bottom transformation of the law-enforcement and justice systems.](http://web.archive.org./web/20130302024121im_/http://cdn3.wn.com/vp/i/06/0566dfcb88e245.jpg) Crime Drug Latin America Photos Wikipedia: Liberia, Costa Rica | The Guardian Costa Rica toughens stance in US-backed drug fight Mon 18 Feb 2013 MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN | Associated Press= LIBERIA, Costa Rica (AP) — On a recent Friday morning at a gleaming new international airport in Costa Rica, hundreds of tourists from New York and Minnesota... (photo: AP / Michael Weissenstein) |