Costa Rican courts finished every domestic requirement for the extradition of Celso Gamboa Sánchez and Edwin Danney López Vega, known as Pecho de Rata. The two men now sit in preventive custody at La Reforma prison in Alajuela. Their transfer to U.S. authorities depends only on formal sentencing guarantees from the United States.
The Court of Appeals in San José upheld the extradition on February 3 in a unanimous ruling. Judges confirmed that Gamboa and López Vega face federal charges in the Eastern District of Texas for conspiracy to distribute cocaine that moved from Colombia through Costa Rica and into the United States.
Gamboa served as public security minister in 2014, directed the national intelligence agency, and later held a seat as magistrate in the Supreme Court’s criminal chamber. U.S. prosecutors accuse him of using those positions to assist traffickers with large shipments. López Vega, a Limón-area figure with a prior drug conviction, stands accused of handling logistics for the same network.
The appeals court placed clear conditions on the extradition. The United States must send written assurances that neither man will face the death penalty, life imprisonment, or a prison term longer than 50 years—the maximum allowed under Costa Rican law. The guarantees must also state that time spent in custody in Costa Rica counts fully toward any U.S. sentence. For López Vega, charges in the United States cover only acts after January 22, 2014.
Judges in Costa Rica removed the last local obstacles. They suspended money laundering cases against López Vega in Limón and Goicoechea courts through a criterio de oportunidad. Similar suspensions cleared related matters for Gamboa. These steps removed any domestic legal barriers to the U.S. request.
The case tests a constitutional reform signed in May 2025. The change to Article 32 allows extradition of Costa Rican nationals for international drug trafficking and terrorism. The appeals court found that the alleged offenses continued after the reform took effect on May 28, 2025, so the new framework applies. Gamboa and López Vega stand among the first nationals to move through this process.
Police arrested both men on June 23, 2025, following the U.S. request. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned them and linked businesses in August 2025. With Costa Rican approvals complete, the process now rests with officials in Texas. They must transmit the required assurances through diplomatic channels.
Once those documents reach Costa Rica and a judge verifies them, authorities can arrange the handover. U.S. marshals typically fly in to take custody. The extraditions mark a shift in how Costa Rica handles cross-border drug cases that involve its own citizens.
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