U.S. Seeks Extradition Of Former Costa Rican Deputy Mayor

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Published on Tuesday, February 10, 2026

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has requested the extradition of a former Costa Rican municipal official to the United States on drug trafficking charges, Costa Rica’s Public Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday.

The request involves a Costa Rican man identified by the surname Vindas-Aguilar, who previously served as deputy mayor of Golfito canton, in the southern province of Puntarenas, from 2016 to 2020.

Prosecutors said the extradition request also includes a Salvadoran national identified as Posada-Chevez, who is accused alongside Vindas in the same drug trafficking case.

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According to authorities, both men are wanted by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on alleged drug trafficking offenses.

Vindas and Posada have been in pretrial detention since August 2025, following their arrest during a coordinated drug enforcement operation led by the DEA and Costa Rican authorities.

The U.S. government is expected to formally submit its extradition request in the coming days. Once received, Costa Rican authorities will proceed under the procedures established by national law for extradition cases, officials said.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office said it continues to coordinate closely with the DEA as part of joint criminal prosecution efforts. The case falls within the framework of Costa Rica’s recent constitutional reform, allowing the extradition of Costa Rican nationals.

In May 2025, Costa Rica approved the extradition of its citizens, whether by birth or naturalization, to countries with which it has extradition treaties.

The investigation dates back to August 2025, when U.S. agents flagged two vehicles traveling through San José as potentially linked to drug trafficking.

Following the DEA alert, a joint task force made up of Costa Rican agencies (including the Judicial Investigation Organization, the Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office, the Drug Control Police, the Special Support Unit and the Directorate of Intelligence and Criminal Analysis) launched a search for the vehicles. Authorities intercepted them at separate checkpoints in the capital.

Vindas and another Costa Rican man, identified by the surname Sandoval, were traveling in one vehicle. Posada was in the second car.

Officers found dozens of packages of cocaine concealed in hidden compartments beneath the vehicle seats.

Police seized both vehicles, the drugs and several electronic devices as evidence. The Drug Control Police later confirmed the shipment totaled 38 kilograms (84 pounds) of cocaine.

“The drugs were intended to be shipped to the United States,” Stephen Madden, director of the Drug Control Police, said at the time.

In a related development earlier this month, a Costa Rican court approved the deferred extradition of two Costa Rican nationals, identified by the surnames Gamboa-Sánchez and López-Vega, to the United States. The ruling marked the first time Costa Rica authorized the extradition of its own citizens to face criminal charges abroad.

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

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