The recent arrest of Costa Rica’s former security minister and the revelations in his case have shed light on the corruption and drug trafficking networks engulfing the government in what may be the most significant drug scandal in the country’s history.

On June 23, Celso Gamboa Sánchez, who served as Costa Rica’s security minister from 2014 to 2015, was arrested in the capital, San José, following an extradition request filed by the United States. The request, seen by InSight Crime, relates to charges of alleged links between drug trafficking networks and high-ranking Costa Rican officials. The arrest came after a constitutional reform passed in May 2025 to allow the extradition of Costa Rican nationals on drug-related charges.

Gamboa faces charges of conspiracy to traffic and distribute cocaine destined for the United States, as well as aiding and abetting the crime, according to the extradition request. US authorities identified him as the Costa Rica-based coordinator of a regional drug trafficking network tied to Colombia’s Clan del Golfo, also known as the Gaitanistas or Urabeños, and the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico’s leading criminal organizations.

Costa Rica Is Facing Its Worst-Ever Narco Corruption Scandal | Written by María Belén López Conte and read by Liza Schmidt.

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