Costa Rica has become a significant waypoint for criminal groups trafficking cocaine into the United States. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, cocaine continues to pose a serious threat to the public, causing over 22,000 overdose deaths in the United States in the 12-month period ending in October 2024.
In an effort to protect Americans from the scourge of cocaine trafficking, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, designated four Costa Rican nationals, as well as two Costa Rica-based entities, for their involvement in narcotics trafficking and money laundering.
“Drug cartels are poisoning Americans and making our communities more dangerous by trafficking cocaine, often laced with fentanyl, into the United States,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley.
Costa Rica continues to see increasing rates of violence, primarily driven by criminal organizations competing for control of drug trafficking routes.
In May 2025, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles signed a constitutional reform allowing the extradition of Costa Rican nationals accused of drug trafficking and terrorism, to include two of the individuals newly designated by OFAC: Celso Manuel Gamboa Sanchez, or Gamboa, and Edwin Danney Lopez Vega, or Lopez.
In June, Costa Rican police arrested Gamboa and Lopez on drug trafficking charges in response to an extradition request from the United States.
As a former Costa Rican Vice Minister of Public Security, Gamboa used his extensive network of contacts within the government to acquire information about ongoing counternarcotics investigations. He subsequently sold this information to the targets of those exact investigations. Gamboa worked with numerous drug traffickers in Costa Rica, including OFAC-designated Bell, Alejandro Antonio James Wilson, or James, Alejandro Arias Monge, or Arias, and the now-incarcerated Lopez.
Gamboa also laundered his illicit drug proceeds through his companies in Costa Rica, two of which have now been designated by OFAC: Bufete Celso Gamboa & Asociados and Limón Black Star FC, a soccer club.
Gamboa, James, Arias, and Lopez have been designated by OFAC for having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production.
Bufete and Limón were designated for being directed by, or having acted on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Gamboa.
These designations, said Under Secretary Hurley, “target key drug smugglers involved in transporting drugs into the United States. Treasury, in close coordination with U.S. law enforcement and our Costa Rican partners, will continue to use all available tools to disrupt narcotrafficking organizations that threaten the safety of Americans.”
In an effort to protect Americans from the scourge of cocaine trafficking, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated four Costa Rican nationals, as well as two Costa Rica-based entities, for their involvement in narcotics trafficking and money laundering.