Q COSTA RICA — Guobin Tam Zhang—a naturalized Costa Rican citizen of Chinese origin wanted by the United States for alleged links to international drug trafficking and money laundering—will remain detained in the maximum-security wing of the Jorge Arturo Montero Castro Institutional Care Center (known as La Reforma) while Costa Rican courts resolve the extradition proceedings against him.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that this decision was made after analyzing the detainee’s profile and considering his alleged ties to criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.
Tam Zhang, 54, who made the headlines this week when it was learned that the alleged drug trafficker attended Laura Fernández’s victory celebration, an invitation-only affair, was transferred to a maximum-security solitary confinement cell subject to a heightened surveillance regime. This includes controls on his visits, phone calls, interactions with prison staff, meals, personal belongings, and other movements within the facility.
He will remain in this section while the judicial proceedings regarding the request filed by U.S. authorities continue.
The San José Criminal Court initially ordered two months of provisional detention for the individual facing extradition; this measure took effect upon his arrest and ensures he remains in custody while the necessary legal procedures are carried out.
Tam Zhang was arrested on October 2 in Costa Rica following an operation coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Public Force, the Drug Control Police (PCD), and U.S. authorities.
Tam Zhang, according to information provided by the DEA, he has ties to criminal organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, and the Gulf Clan.
As of June 2026, the Ministry of Justice mandated that inmates subject to extradition orders may only receive visits via prison visitation booths, physically separated from their visitors by safety glass.
The institution also ordered prison officers to use body cameras whenever they handle requests from or interact with individuals in this category.
Strict monitoring within La Reforma
The Ministry of Justice stated that it will maintain a detailed log of the detainee’s interactions while he is held in maximum security. Monitoring measures will cover family and attorney visits, telephone communications, contact with staff, meals, and movement within the correctional facility.
The regime also stipulates that he remain alone in his cell—a measure applied to other high-profile inmates.
Placing the detainee in maximum security does not constitute a ruling on the extradition request, nor does it determine his criminal liability.
The proceedings will continue under the jurisdiction of Costa Rican judicial authorities, who must evaluate the documentation submitted by the United States and decide whether to authorize his surrender.