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The suspects, identified as Gamboa-Sánchez (left) and López-Vega (right), face federal drug trafficking charges in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. / Photo courtesy of Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Security and social media.

Costa Rica Nears First Extradition Of Citizens To U.S. On Drug Charges

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Published on Thursday, March 12, 2026

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Costa Rica is one step closer to extraditing two of its own citizens to the United States on drug trafficking charges, in a case that would mark the first time the country sends its nationals abroad to face criminal prosecution.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday that it has received the final document required to complete the extradition process for two Costa Rican nationals, identified by the surnames Gamboa-Sánchez and López-Vega.

Authorities said the document, submitted by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, is a plea agreement guaranteeing that the suspects would avoid mandatory life imprisonment if they are found guilty.

With the submission of that document, officials said all requirements negotiated between Costa Rica and the United States to proceed with the extradition have been met.

A judge will now review the document, which also guarantees that any sentence imposed would not exceed 50 years. If the court approves the document, the extradition could take place in the coming days, authorities said.

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Gamboa previously held several high-ranking positions within Costa Rica’s government. He served as vice minister of public security from 2010 to 2011, vice minister of the presidency and director of intelligence and security in 2014, and later that same year as minister of security.

He also served as Costa Rica’s anti-drug commissioner and worked as a prosecutor in the provinces of Limón, San José, Alajuela and Cartago. In 2015, he was appointed deputy prosecutor of the Public Ministry, and in 2016, he became a magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice.

According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Gamboa facilitated shipments of cocaine worth tens of millions of dollars from Colombia through Costa Rica to the United States and Europe.

OFAC described López as a drug trafficker based in Limón province and alleged that he was the sole known source of cocaine supplied to Gamboa and two other suspects identified by the surnames Arias and James.

The agency also said López and Gamboa worked together to launder drug proceeds.

Costa Rica’s attorney general, Carlo Díaz, confirmed that as part of the extradition process, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will send a special aircraft to transport both suspects to the United States.

In February, a Costa Rican court approved the deferred extradition of Gamboa and López to the United States, marking the first time the country authorized the extradition of its own citizens to face criminal charges abroad.

The case follows a legal amendment that took effect in May 2025, allowing Costa Rica to extradite citizens by birth or naturalization to countries with which it has extradition treaties.

Gamboa and López were arrested in June 2025 on drug trafficking charges after the United States submitted an extradition request.

In August 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Gamboa and López, along with two other Costa Rican nationals, for their alleged roles in narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

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What have you heard about national citizens in your country being extradited for drug trafficking? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com