Q COSTARICA — One of the conditions Costa Rica demanded from the United States was that, if found guilty, former magistrate Celso Gamboa would not face a prison sentence longer than the one faced in Costa Rica: that is, not exceeding 50 years, regardless of all the crimes he allegedly committed.
With this guarantee by U.S. authorities, Gamboa’s extradition to the United States is now clear and considered practically imminent, as confirmed on Thursday by Attorney General Carlo Díaz.
Gamboa, who served as Minister of Security during the Citizen Action Party (PAC) administration of Luis Guillermo Solís (2014-2018), as well as Attorney General and magistrate of the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court, is considered the alleged leader of a drug trafficking organization that shipped drugs from Costa Rica to the United States.
The accusations are based on information gathered by the U.S. anti-drug agencyDrug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. anti-drug agency.
Formal Promise
The Ministerio Público de Costa Rica (Public Prosecutor’s Office) confirmed that the U.S. government submitted the formal promises requested by the San José Criminal Court of Appeals in the extradition proceedings against Gamboa. The promise also includes Edwin López Vega, nicknamed “Pecho de Rata” (Rat’s Chest), who faces extradition on charges for crimes allegedly committed between 2008 and June 2025.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the documentation has already been transferred to the San José Criminal Court, which will continue with the corresponding procedures within the extradition process.
These types of promises are a requirement requested by the court that heard the appeal filed in the proceedings. Through them, the requesting state provides formal guarantees regarding the legal treatment that the requested individuals will receive.
In Costa Rica, Article 51 of the Penal Code establishes that the maximum prison sentence is 50 years, regardless of the sum of the sentences handed down by a court. This regulation was ratified by the Constitutional Court, maintaining this maximum term of imprisonment as the legal limit.
The promise by U.S. authorities also offered the guarantee that the time the defendants have spent in pretrial detention in Costa Rica will be deducted from any eventual sentence calculation.