President Laura Fernández announced Monday the creation of a new Task Force coalition, known as the “Elite Force,” aimed at strengthening Costa Rica’s fight against crime and organized criminal groups.

According to the Presidential House, the coalition will bring together multiple government agencies to address the country’s increasingly complex and interconnected criminal activity.

The group will meet weekly at the Ministry of Public Security in San José, with Fernández and senior government officials overseeing coordination among the nation’s law enforcement agencies.

The coalition will issue security directives and monitor their implementation across various agencies, including the national police, the National Coast Guard Service, the National Air Surveillance Service, the Fiscal Police, Border Police and the Ministry of Justice and Peace, which oversees the prison system.

Fernández said the coalition will also evaluate regional security conditions, review operational response times and analyze police intelligence information.

“The objective is to strengthen the fight against organized crime and improve security throughout the country,” she said.

According to government data, 260 criminal groups are currently operating in Costa Rica, including 61 involved in active territorial or organizational conflicts. Police intelligence estimates the groups collectively include more than 4,000 members.

Authorities said several criminal organizations continue operating even after their leaders are imprisoned, largely because inmates are still able to communicate with gang members outside prison walls.

To address that issue, the government plans to submit legislation to Congress that would restrict communications and visitation rights for high-risk inmates. The proposal would also require video recording of visits involving those prisoners.

The government also issued a directive to the Ministry of Justice and Peace ordering the confiscation of prohibited items found inside prison cells, including cigarettes, lighters and expensive clothing, among other unauthorized privileges.

The directive further calls for identifying prison staff members who allow inmates unrestricted access to such items.

Although Costa Rica’s homicide rate fell 13.3% in 2026 compared with the previous year, Fernández said the decline remains insufficient.

“That result is not enough,” she said, adding that her administration plans to intensify its crackdown on organized crime.

Fernández also raised concerns about the country’s judicial process, saying only 38% of arrests involving criminal suspects ultimately proceed to trial.

The statistic suggests that most detained suspects never face prosecution in court.

As part of the administration’s anti-corruption efforts, Fernández ordered polygraph testing for all directors of Costa Rica’s security agencies. The examinations will include questions related to organized crime and drug trafficking in an effort to detect possible corruption or criminal infiltration within security institutions.

Fernández said she will also meet this week with members of the Public Ministry and lawmakers in Congress to discuss possible penal code reforms aimed at strengthening criminal sentencing and improving the effectiveness of prosecutions.

Fernández officially began her 2026-2030 administration on May 1 after signing three presidential decrees focused on prison sentencing, legislative procedures and cabinet appointments, signaling what she described as a tougher stance on crime and government reform.

At 36, Fernández is one of the youngest presidents in Costa Rican history and the second woman elected president after Laura Chinchilla-Miranda, who served from 2010 to 2014.

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