Key facts
- Costa Rican police captured Alejandro Arias, "Diablo," the country's most wanted fugitive.
- Arias was sought by the U.S. for drug trafficking charges.
- A separate arrest at Juan Santamaría International Airport involved a 32-year-old man named Hank, also sought by the U.S. for drug trafficking.
- Costa Rica recently extradited former Supreme Court justice Celso Gamboa and Edwin Lopez Vega to the U.S. on drug trafficking charges.
- A constitutional amendment in 2025 allows Costa Rica to extradite its citizens for drug trafficking and terrorism charges.
Costa Rican police have captured Alejandro Arias, also known as "Diablo," who was the Central American nation's most wanted fugitive and sought by the United States on drug trafficking charges. The arrest highlights international law enforcement collaboration.
In a separate but related development, a 32-year-old man identified as Hank was apprehended at Costa Rica's Juan Santamaría International Airport while attempting to leave the country. This arrest was the result of a coordinated effort between Interpol in Costa Rica and the Drug Control Police (PCD), leading to Hank's extradition to the United States.
These actions follow a significant shift in Costa Rican law, where a constitutional amendment passed in 2025 now permits the extradition of its citizens for drug trafficking and terrorism charges. Previously, the country's constitution banned such extraditions. This change was championed by the Chaves government to combat organized crime.
This new policy was demonstrated with the recent extradition of Celso Gamboa, a former Supreme Court justice and deputy attorney general, and his alleged co-conspirator Edwin Lopez Vega, to the United States. Both faced charges related to drug trafficking and conspiracy. President Rodrigo Chaves Robles and Attorney General Carlo Diaz hailed these extraditions as historic steps in ensuring criminal justice and sending a message that Costa Rican nationality cannot be used to evade justice.