For the first time in recent history, Costa Rica has extradited some of its citizens to the United States to face charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy.
Those subject to extradition on Friday include senior government official Celso Gamboa, 49, who served as a Supreme Court justice from 2016 to 2018 and deputy attorney general from 2015 to 2016.
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The government of Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chávez Robles welcomed the extradition as a major step in ensuring criminal justice.
“Costa Rica is sending a strong message that no one can use our nationality to escape justice,” Attorney General Carlo Díaz said in a video message.
Diaz acknowledged that the first extradition included “high-profile individuals.” “Today is a historic day,” he added.
Previously, Costa Rica’s constitution prohibited the extradition of its citizens for prosecution abroad.
However, in 2025, the situation changed due to constitutional reforms promoted by the Chávez government. Costa Rica’s Congress passed the amendment with 44 votes out of 57 members.
Supporters argued the changes were needed to combat rising crime in the country and that corruption in the judicial system made it difficult to pursue justice.
But critics say extradition is a heavy-handed measure that subjects citizens to foreign law while failing to address the root causes of crime.
The amendments are specifically aimed at extraditing only suspects accused of drug trafficking and “terrorism.”
It also sets out the conditions for extradition. Suspects cannot be extradited to face the death penalty or a prison sentence of more than 50 years, the maximum allowed by Costa Rican law.
The amendments are part of a broader regional trend of aggressive tactics to combat organized crime in Latin America.
In April 2024, Ecuador similarly approved (through a voter referendum in its case) an amendment that would allow the extradition of its citizens to countries such as the United States. In July 2025, the United States confirmed that it had received an extradition from the United States for the first time since the amendment went into effect.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Novoa praised the move, saying it would give authorities “more tools to fight crime.”
Meanwhile, Friday’s first extradition from Costa Rica involved Gamboa and his alleged co-conspirator Edwin López Vega, a suspected drug trafficker known by the nickname “Pecho de Rata” or “Box of Rats.”
They were handcuffed on a flight to Texas at Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Gamboa and López-Vega were arrested the same day.
Chavez Robles accused Gamboa of representing the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of corruption in the political system.
But Gamboa said the charges against him were made in “malice” and that he would testify against other government officials if his safety and that of his family were not ensured.
Prior to serving as a judge and prosecutor, Mr. Gamboa served in high-level roles in several presidential administrations.
He served as Director of Intelligence and National Security under President Laura Chinchilla and Minister of Public Security under President Luis Guillermo Solis.
However, in 2024, a preliminary warrant for his arrest was issued in the Eastern District of Texas, and Gamboa was arrested on June 23, 2025.
In a federal indictment in July of that year, the U.S. government announced that Gamboa would be charged with manufacturing and distributing cocaine to the United States and related conspiracy charges.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Gamboa collaborated with López-Vega to support international drug trafficking operations. The following month, both men were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.
“Gamboa used his extensive connections within the government to obtain information regarding ongoing counternarcotics investigations,” the Treasury Department alleged.
“He then sold this information to the exact subjects of the investigation.”
If convicted, Gamboa and López-Vega could face a minimum of 10 years in prison in the United States.
Costa Rica has forged increasingly close ties with the United States under President Donald Trump.
After President Trump took office for his second term, Costa Rica became one of the first countries to accept U.S. deportation flights carrying “third-country” nationals as part of Trump’s mass deportation drive.
Cuban diplomats were expelled from the border this week as part of President Trump’s pressure campaign on the Caribbean island.
Costa Rican President Chávez recently participated in a security summit with other Latin American right-wing leaders on March 7 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
