From alleged narco-politicians to traffickers seeking to dominate the Caribbean coast, several high-profile Costa Rican figures are now facing US justice for their alleged roles in transnational cocaine trafficking networks linked to Colombia and Mexico.
Costa Rica’s long-standing image as one of Central America’s most stable democracies is being eroded by the deepening hold of organized crime over the country, a result of its growing importance as a cocaine transportation hub. Costa Rican crime groups are becoming more sophisticated and resorting to lethal violence to secure control of drug transportation routes there.
Growing concerns over the judiciary’s capacity to effectively prosecute the high-level criminal actors behind these networks prompted Costa Rica’s government to allow for the extradition of nationals for international drug trafficking and terrorism offenses to the United States last year.
Below are the three major alleged crime bosses awaiting US justice so far.
- Celso Gamboa Sánchez
The case of former security minister and magistrate Celso Gamboa Sánchez has shaken Costa Rica’s political establishment. US prosecutors accuse Gamboa of selling sensitive information to traffickers—including Costa Rica’s most wanted fugitive, Alejandro Arias-Monge, alias “Diablo.” They also allege Gambo bribed state officials to facilitate cocaine shipments sent by the Gaitanistas (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC) from Colombia, which were then moved through Costa Rica to the United States and Europe.
His arrest and extradition to the United States in 2025 marked one of the most consequential corruption scandals in recent Costa Rican history. The case highlighted mounting concerns that organized crime has not only infiltrated local institutions but has also gained access to the country’s highest levels of political and judicial power. Gamboa was extradited to the United States in March.
- Edwin López Vega, alias “Pecho de Rata”
Edwin López Vega, alias “Pecho de Rata,” is one of the most notorious traffickers to emerge from the Caribbean province of Limón, a strategic hub for cocaine shipments leaving Central America.
Authorities accuse López Vega of operating his own trafficking infrastructure along the Caribbean coast, coordinating cocaine exports through Costa Rica’s ports.
In one episode that underscored his notoriety, “Pecho de Rata” reportedly appeared via video call at a party in Limón while sitting inside a US prison. Pecho de Rata was extradited to the United States in March, alongside Gamboa.
- Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, alias “Shock”
Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, alias “Shock,” allegedly sought to transform Costa Rica’s fragmented trafficking landscape into something far more centralized.
Authorities accuse “Shock” of leading the “South Caribbean Cartel,” an organization that aimed to consolidate control over trafficking routes in Limón. Unlike smaller local operators focused on isolated corridors, investigators say Picado attempted to build a more vertically integrated criminal structure.
According to authorities, he recruited traffickers and enforcers under a single umbrella, laying the groundwork for what officials described as a potential “mega-cartel” capable of controlling domestic operations while managing links with international suppliers and buyers.
His arrest in the United Kingdom, which reportedly happened after his female companion uploaded images of them on holiday together in Europe onto social media, dealt a major blow to those ambitions. But the case also revealed how Costa Rica’s criminal landscape may be evolving—from decentralized transport cells into more sophisticated organizations seeking territorial control, international alliances, and long-term dominance over maritime trafficking routes. Shock was cleared for extradition to the United States following his capture in the UK last month.