Judges on the Court of Appeals in San José have confirmed the extradition of two Costa Rican citizens to the United States to face charges tied to international cocaine trafficking. The decision, handed down, marks a key test of our country’s recent legal changes that permit nationals to stand trial abroad for such offenses.
Celso Manuel Gamboa Sánchez, a former high-ranking official and judge, and Edwin Danney López Vega, known as Pecho de Rata, now await transfer to US authorities. Prosecutors in Texas accuse them of conspiring to move large amounts of cocaine through Costa Rica and into the United States. The court found that their alleged actions continued past May 28, 2025, the date when a constitutional amendment took effect, allowing extraditions for drug trafficking and terrorism cases.
The three-judge panel reached a unanimous agreement on Gamboa and López after reviewing appeals from their defense teams. They rejected arguments that the reform should not apply retroactively, noting the ongoing nature of the crimes. This clears the path for their handover, though the US must first assure Costa Rican officials that neither man will receive a life sentence or more than 50 years in prison. The court also stipulated that time served in Costa Rica during pretrial detention counts toward any future US sentence.
Attorney General Carlo Díaz praised the outcome in a statement following the ruling. He said it affirms the approach taken by local prosecutors and sets a clear standard for applying the reform. “This decision upholds our legal framework and ensures that extraditions proceed only for acts that align with the amendment’s timeline,” Díaz explained. He added that Gamboa’s remaining cases in Costa Rica pose no barrier, as courts have suspended proceedings in two matters to facilitate the process.
In contrast, the judges overturned the extradition order for a third suspect, Jonathan Álvarez Alfaro, alias Gato or Profe. Álvarez faces money laundering allegations linked to drug operations, but the court determined his actions occurred entirely before the reform’s effective date. Only one judge, Solís Zamora, argued in favor of sending him to the US. As a result, Álvarez will face prosecution in Costa Rica, where the Public Prosecutor’s Office continues its investigations. Díaz noted that additional charges against him remain active locally.
The case stems from a US indictment unsealed in July 2025, charging the men with manufacturing, distributing, and importing cocaine. Gamboa, who served as vice minister of public security and later as a Supreme Court magistrate, allegedly used his positions to aid traffickers in shipping multimillion-dollar loads from Colombia through Costa Rica. López, a convicted trafficker, stands accused of coordinating logistics for the same network.
Costa Rican police arrested the trio in June 2025 following a US request, with Gamboa detained in San José and López in the southern Caribbean area. A first-instance court approved their extraditions in October, prompting the appeals that led to this week’s resolution. The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Gamboa, López, and others in August, freezing assets and labeling them as key figures in regional narcotics operations.
This ruling represents the first use of the 2025 reform in practice, signaling Costa Rica’s commitment to joint efforts against cross-border crime. Officials expect the transfers to occur within months, once diplomatic assurances arrive and any final procedural steps conclude. For now, all three men remain in preventive custody at La Reforma prison in Alajuela.
The decision comes amid rising concerns over drug routes in Central America, where Costa Rica serves as a transit point for shipments headed north. Local authorities have ramped up cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, leading to more arrests and seizures in recent years.
As the process moves forward, defense attorneys for Gamboa and López have not indicated plans for further challenges, though options remain limited under Costa Rican law.
