In a dramatic escalation of anti-narcotics enforcement and constitutional reform, Costa Rican authorities have arrested Celso Gamboa Sánchez-a former national security minister, prosecutor, and Supreme Court justice-on international drug trafficking charges. The arrest follows a US extradition request and could become a historic precedent: the first time Costa Rica extradites its own citizens under newly amended constitutional law.

The arrest, announced on June 23 by Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) Director Randall Zúñiga, marks a significant development in Costa Rica’s legal and political landscape. Celso Gamboa, 49, was taken into custody along with alleged accomplice Edwin López Vega, a convicted drug trafficker previously imprisoned for attempting to smuggle over 300 kilograms of cocaine. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has requested their extradition to Dallas, Texas, where they are expected to face charges related to an international drug trafficking network.

The arrest of Gamboa Sánchez is as notable for its legal implications as it is for its symbolism. Once a pillar of Costa Rica’s justice and security institutions, Gamboa’s career trajectory included high-profile appointments that few could attain: prosecutor in Limón, deputy security minister under President Laura Chinchilla, head of the powerful Intelligence and Security Directorate (DIS), and eventually minister of security under President Luis Guillermo Solís. In 2016, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of Justice, only to be dismissed in 2018........

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