SAN JOSE, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 21,233 people were arrested for involvement in drug trafficking in 2007, a report by the drug control authorities in the country said Tuesday.

    An average of 63 people were arrested daily from Jan. 1 to Dec.5 in 2007 for violating the Narcotics Law, said the report.

    However, 95 percent of the arrestees were seized with very small amounts of drugs and it was hard to determine if they were for personal use or for sale.

    Only 374 people, 280 Costa Ricans and 94 foreigners, were found guilty of distributing and selling drugs.

    The police received 176 phone calls with information on the activities of drug dealers, said a chief of the Police Drug Control agency, who withheld his name for security reasons.

    "I believe the best intelligence work is done by common citizen," he said.