Smugglers exploit Costa Mar's tourism channels

A network of social-media accounts operating across Costa Mar and Oriente Moderno has been systematising the recruitment and transport of migrants seeking passage to other regions, according to a joint investigation by the Federal Interior Ministry and the Costa Mar Marine Ministry. The accounts, which operate primarily on Instagram and messaging platforms, advertise routes, charge fees, and provide logistical support—all under the guise of tourism and hospitality services.

The operation exploits Costa Mar's legitimate tourism infrastructure: its ports, its small-boat cooperative networks, and its status as a regional hub for inter-regional travel. Investigators have traced at least forty-three separate accounts to a coordinated ring operating out of Puerto Azul and the secondary port town of Bahía Verde. The accounts use images of Costa Mar's beaches and reef to glamourise the journey, marketing illegal passage as an adventure available to anyone with enough cash.

Federal Interior Minister Tomás Vidal announced the investigation's findings on Wednesday and said that a multi-region enforcement task force has begun coordinated arrests. Costa Mar's Marine Ministry has revoked the operating licenses of three boat operators suspected of involvement and has increased patrols in the waters between Costa Mar and Oriente Moderno, where most of the identified routes terminate.