The Criminal Court of Limón turned down a U.S. request to extradite Gilberth Hernán Bell Fernández, known as ‘Macho Coca,’ on Monday afternoon. Judge Jorge Arturo Sequeira RodrÃguez issued the ruling at 2:50 p.m., stating that the 62-year-old Costa Rican must face trial in his home country for charges related to international drug trafficking.
Bell, a resident of MoÃn in Limón, stands accused by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York of conspiracy and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. U.S. authorities claim he led a criminal group that moved large shipments of cocaine from Costa Rica to New York between March 2022 and August 2023. As the group’s head, Bell allegedly dealt with undercover agents, sold drug samples, and arranged a 700-kilogram cocaine delivery.
The court rejected the extradition based on the non-retroactive nature of Costa Rica’s extradition law. The alleged crimes took place before a May 2025 reform to Article 32 of the Constitution, which now allows extradition of nationals in certain drug cases. Since the acts predate the change and do not count as ongoing offenses, the judge ruled that the new rules do not apply. This leaves Bell under Costa Rican jurisdiction.
Prosecutors now must open a local case against Bell for the same drug offenses. If convicted, time served during the extradition process will count toward his sentence. The ruling lifts the unlimited detention and travel ban tied to the U.S. request, and orders the return of his passport if seized. However, Bell remains in custody at La Reforma prison, where he has been held since October 2024 on separate charges of leading a fuel theft ring targeting the Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery (Recope).
Bell’s case marks the 14th extradition request against a Costa Rican by the U.S. in recent years. U.S. officials have long viewed him as a key player in the Caribbean drug trade. In November 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned him under the Office of Foreign Assets Control, freezing his assets and labeling him one of Limón’s most active traffickers. Reports tie him to shipments from Colombia through Costa Rica to the U.S. and Europe, contributing to rising violence in the region.
Defense attorney Manrique González argued successfully that extraditing Bell would violate legal principles against applying laws retroactively. The 43-page decision agrees, noting the reform affects substantive rights like liberty and residency.
The Public Ministry has three days to appeal the ruling to the Appellate Court of Criminal Sentences in Goicoechea. If upheld, it could set a pattern for similar cases involving pre-reform crimes. For now, Bell stays in Costa Rican hands, facing justice here rather than in New York.
This development highlights ongoing U.S.-Costa Rica cooperation on drug enforcement, even as legal hurdles arise. Authorities seized Bell’s properties in past raids, including boats used for smuggling, but earlier drug charges against him in 2015 led to his release after a court found insufficient evidence.
As Costa Rica deals with its role as a transit point for narcotics, cases like Bell’s underscore the challenges in balancing national sovereignty with international pressure.
