By David Salazar | First Posted: Jul 06, 2012 09:06 AM EDT

Costa Rican authorities arrested a high-ranking member of Mexico's Gulf drug cartel on Thursday.

The drug lord who was captured, Juan Manuel Garcia Hernandez, 37, was responsible for supervising overland shipments of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, according to Fox News Latino.

Garcia was wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and by seven other countries, but only Costa Rica was able to provide sufficient evidence to make the arrest.

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Investigations against Garcia began in Costa Rica back in 2010 when authorities intercepted numerous trucks full of cocaine. In July 2011, authorities finally identified Garcia and he was promptly followed for over a year before his detention on Thursday in an operation at the San Jose hotel.

The operation captured 11 in total, four of which are Mexican, and 45 kilos of cocaine as well as $24,000 in cash, weapons, and vehicles. There were also Costa Rican truck drivers who are being accused of moving shipments from Panama to Mexico.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Costa Rica has seized over six tons of cocaine and $8 million in cash in the last two years.

Costa Rica currently has the lowest homicide rate in Central America with 10.3 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. 

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