Costa Rican investigators examined whether money from an alleged international cocaine-trafficking organization was invested in Puerto Golfito F.C., a former second-division soccer club based in the country’s Southern Zone. The allegations form part of the Distrito organized-crime case, which is scheduled to go to trial on August 3.
The proceedings are expected to continue through late 2027, as prosecutors present telephone recordings, surveillance reports, photographs and extensive financial records. One of the main defendants is businessman Rehan Fraile Pérez, known as “Rey.” Investigators allege that Fraile received money connected to the criminal organization and moved it into businesses and sports projects, including Puerto Golfito F.C. and a soccer training operation called Premier Academy CR.
Fraile is accused alongside Hilary Walker Fowlker, known as “Hilario,” whom investigators identified as the suspected leader of the organization. A confidential Judicial Investigation Agency report included in the case file says Fraile maintained relationships with Puerto Golfito players and officials. Some of those individuals were suspected of having links to the alleged trafficking network, although the accusations have not been proven in court.
Investigators also documented meetings in Golfito and San José between Fraile and a club official identified by the surname Barquero and the nickname “Ceviche.” Undercover officers reportedly saw Fraile repeatedly at Fortunato Atencio Stadium, where Puerto Golfito played its home matches.
The investigation also recorded several trips by Walker to Costa Rica’s Southern Zone to meet Fraile. Prosecutors contend that these contacts formed part of a broader effort to move and disguise money generated by cocaine trafficking. The criminal case also examines Premier Academy CR. Investigators allege that former judicial employee Steven Mesén Bolaños acted as an intermediary between Fraile and Walker, helping arrange meetings, transfer money and handle matters connected to the academy.
Authorities say Mesén also collected two foreign visitors from Juan Santamaría International Airport and took them to facilities associated with the soccer project. During an August 2022 search of a gym linked to Fraile, investigators seized documents involving Puerto Golfito’s debts, academy employment contracts, accounting books and administrative records. Those materials are expected to be examined during the trial.
Prosecutors allege that the wider trafficking organization obtained cocaine along Costa Rica’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts before moving it into the Central Valley. The drugs were then allegedly shipped to the United States and Europe inside contaminated cargo containers and modified machinery.
The case has been linked to the seizure of 1,263 kilograms (2,784 pounds) of cocaine in Belgium and another 1,200 kilograms (2,646 pounds) in England. Costa Rican authorities also discovered vehicles with hidden compartments containing 33 kilograms (73 pounds) and 269 kilograms (593 pounds) of cocaine.
Puerto Golfito F.C. later became involved in a separate controversy over match-fixing. In March 2024, Costa Rica’s soccer federation banned the club and three senior officials from all federated soccer activities for 10 years. The officials sanctioned were club president Roy Telles Campos, majority shareholder Deivis Antonio Barquero and sporting director Arturo Alberoni Palma Fallas. The disciplinary proceeding began after suspicious betting activity was identified and reviewed through soccer integrity monitoring systems.
That disciplinary ruling was administrative and separate from the Distrito criminal case. However, the criminal file reportedly includes communications between Barquero and individuals accused in the trafficking investigation. The upcoming trial will determine whether prosecutors can prove that Fraile and the other defendants participated in the alleged trafficking organization and whether soccer projects were used to conceal or legitimize illegal profits.
The claims against Fraile, Walker and the other defendants remain allegations. None of the accusations involving the financing of Puerto Golfito F.C. has been proven in court.
