Abstract
The article explores the intersections of drug trafficking and community welfare in Costa Rica, a national context that is underexplored in literature. I use an immersive qualitative approach drawing from interviews, participant observation, government reports, and media reports to explore why and to what ends a rural frontier community has become enmeshed in the transport of cocaine northward. I find that the key precipitating factors include poverty, state disinterest, and youth facilitation. The implications of this community’s involvement in drug trafficking are mixed. Negatively, drug trafficking increases violence in the community, weakens community youth development, and undercuts legitimate businesses. Conversely, drug traffickers provide social goods and generate employment. Grounded in empirical evidence, the article suggests that a community economic and social development approach holds promise in addressing drug trafficking specifically in Costa Rica and more broadly in Latin America.
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