A former Costa Rican government official and judge, identified as Celso Manuel Gamboa-Sanchez (49), has been charged with federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Gamboa was named in a federal indictment returned by a grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas, charging him with manufacturing and distributing cocaine knowing it would be unlawfully imported into the United States and conspiracy.

The indictment alleges that Gamboa conspired with and assisted other international drug traffickers to manufacture, distribute, and transport significant quantities of cocaine, much of which was trafficked through Costa Rica and ultimately into the United States for further distribution.

Gamboa Sanchez has held several governmental positions in Costa Rica, including Minister of Public Security in 2014, a position charged with overseeing crime prevention in the country, and a judge from 2016 to 2018. 

On June 23, 2025, Gamboa Sanchez was arrested in Costa Rica under a provisional arrest warrant issued because of similar international drug trafficking charges alleged against him in 2024 in the Eastern District of Texas.

Also on June 23, 2025, Costa Rican officials arrested another alleged Costa Rican international narcotics trafficker, surnamed Lopez-Vega, who was an associate of Gamboa and indicted in the Eastern District of Texas.

In May 2025, a legal amendment went into effect in Costa Rica, allowing for the extradition of Costa Rican citizens, whether by birth or naturalization, to countries with which Costa Rica maintains extradition treaties.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

If convicted, Gamboa and Lopez Vega face a minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the North Texas Strike Force. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wes Wynne and Christopher Eason.

A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.