For the primary time in current historical past, Costa Rica has extradited a few of its residents to the US to face felony drug-trafficking and conspiracy prices.
The people included in Friday’s extradition embody a prime authorities official, Celso Gamboa, 49, who beforehand served as a Supreme Court docket justice from 2016 to 2018 and a deputy lawyer common from 2015 to 2016.
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The administration of Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles hailed the extraditions as a significant step in making certain felony justice.
“Costa Rica is sending a robust message: nobody can use our nationality to evade justice,” Legal professional Common Carlo Diaz mentioned in a video message.
Diaz acknowledged that “high-profile people” have been included within the inaugural extradition. “It is a historic day,” he added.
Beforehand, the Structure of Costa Rica banned the extradition of its residents for prosecution overseas.
However that modified in 2025 with a constitutional modification championed by the Chaves authorities. Costa Rica’s legislature handed the modification with 44 votes in assist, out of a complete of 57 deputies.
Proponents have argued that the change was wanted to fight rising crime within the nation and that corruption within the judicial system made the pursuit of justice tough.
However critics have argued that extradition is a hardline tactic that fails to handle the foundation causes of crime, whereas subjecting residents to international legal guidelines.
The modification is tailor-made to extraditing solely suspects accused of drug-trafficking and “terrorism”, particularly.
It additionally units circumstances on extraditions: Suspects can’t be despatched overseas to face the demise penalty or sentences of greater than 50 years’ imprisonment, the utmost allowed beneath Costa Rican legislation.
The modification is a part of a broader, regional development of aggressive techniques to fight organised crime in Latin America.
In April 2024, Ecuador likewise accredited an modification — in its case, by means of a voter referendum — to permit extraditions of residents to international locations just like the US. In July 2025, the US confirmed it had acquired its first extradition from the nation for the reason that modification took impact.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa praised the measure as providing officers “extra instruments to struggle crime”.
Friday’s inaugural extradition from Costa Rica, in the meantime, concerned Gamboa and his alleged co-conspirator Edwin Lopez Vega, a suspected drug trafficker identified by the nickname “Pecho de Rata” or “Rat’s Chest”.
Each males have been positioned in handcuffs on a Texas-bound aircraft on the Juan Santamaria Worldwide Airport within the Costa Rican capital San Jose. Gamboa and Lopez Vega have been arrested on the identical day.
Chaves Robles has accused Gamboa of representing “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to corruption within the political system.
However Gamboa has mentioned the accusations towards him have been made in “unhealthy religion” and that he plans to testify towards different authorities figures if his security and that of his household usually are not ensured.
Earlier than serving as a choose and prosecutor, Gamboa had high-level roles in a number of presidential administrations.
Beneath President Laura Chinchilla, he served because the director of intelligence and nationwide safety, and beneath President Luis Guillermo Solis, he was the minister of public safety.
However in 2024, a provisional warrant was issued for his arrest within the japanese district of Texas, and on June 23, 2025, Gamboa was arrested.
In a federal indictment in July of that 12 months, the US authorities introduced it could be charging Gamboa with manufacturing and distributing cocaine destined for the US, in addition to associated conspiracy prices.
The US Division of Justice mentioned Gamboa labored with Lopez Vega to help worldwide drug trafficking operations. Each males have been sanctioned by the US Treasury the next month.
“Gamboa used his intensive community of contacts throughout the authorities to accumulate details about ongoing counternarcotics investigations,” the Treasury alleged.
“He subsequently bought this data to the targets of these precise investigations.”
Gamboa and Lopez Vega face a minimal of 10 years in jail within the US if convicted.
Costa Rica has cast an more and more shut relationship with the US beneath President Donald Trump.
After Trump took workplace for a second time period, Costa Rica turned one of many first international locations to simply accept US deportation flights carrying residents of “third-party” international locations, as a part of Trump’s mass deportation push.
This week, it additionally expelled Cuban diplomats from its borders, as a part of a Trump-led stress marketing campaign towards the Caribbean island.
Costa Rican President Chaves not too long ago joined different right-wing Latin American leaders at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for a security summit on March 7.
