Update, Oct. 13, 7 p.m.: The December 3 concert has been canceled, and Stockwell’s lawyer says prosecutors will now seek pretrial detention for all 19 suspects. This article has been updated.
The promoter behind Snoop Dogg’s now-canceled December 3 concert in Costa Rica told prosecutors he once turned down an investment because the would-be investor arrived carrying a suitcase full of cash, as he looks to clear his name in a money-laundering investigation. Don Stockwell is one of the suspects in the investigation known as the Éxodo case, which authorities say centers on alleged money laundering and drug trafficking. He has not been convicted of any crime and denies wrongdoing.
In a formal statement to the Public Prosecutor’s Office following his arrest on October 7, Stockwell denied ever receiving money from drug traffickers or criminals, according to local reports published Tuesday. He told prosecutors that many years ago he rejected an investment offer from ElÃas AKL because AKL showed up with a suitcase of cash, more money than Stockwell said he had ever seen in one place. AKL was shot dead by hitmen in May 2017 outside a private school in GuachipelÃn de Escazú.
Stockwell also said he never suspected that money invested by Edwin Vargas GarcÃa, known as “Sobrino,” came from criminal activity. He told prosecutors that cash payments are common in the entertainment business and that some investors prefer to remain anonymous, so neither raised red flags for him.
Investigators with the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) are examining whether a group allegedly led by Vargas used money apparently tied to drug trafficking to invest in live events. Michael Soto, a senior OIJ official, has said investigators link Stockwell and fellow promoter Hugo Barboza to three concerts that allegedly received funding from the organization, with about $859,000 tied to those events.
Vargas has been held at La Reforma prison in Alajuela since January 2025. An OIJ report filed in the case alleges he continued to direct an informal high-interest lending network, known locally as “gota a gota,” from behind bars in a prison system already holding a record number of inmates.
Authorities carried out 22 raids and arrested 18 people on October 7 in several communities in and around San José. Stockwell was released early the next morning. The Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime had said it would seek precautionary measures other than pretrial detention against him, citing his ties to the community and its assessment of procedural risks. On Tuesday evening, however, his lawyer, Daniel Brenes, said prosecutors would request pretrial detention for all 19 suspects in the case, although the request had not yet been formally filed. The hearing to set precautionary measures, which began Monday, was still underway and could last several more days, Brenes said.
Stockwell has publicly called the case a misunderstanding stemming from dealings with people he did not know well. He has said his conscience is clear and that he is ready to clear his name. The production company had said only days earlier that Snoop Dogg’s December 3 show at the Pedregal event center would go ahead. On Tuesday afternoon, it announced the concert had been canceled by mutual agreement with the artist and said ticket refunds would be processed automatically.
None of the suspects in the case has been convicted, and the investigation remains open.
