Q COSTARICA — It is a matter of days before the extradition to the U.S. of former magistrate and prosecutor, Celso Gamboa, and Edwin López Vega, alias “Pecho de Rata” (Rat’s Chest), takes place to face charges of international drug trafficking before a Texax court.
The extradition process involves Costa Rican authorities and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to send a plane to transport both men to Texas, the first Costa Ricans to be extradited under a new law that went into effect last May, where they will be tried for international drug trafficking.
The United States sent diplomatic notes to the Costa Rican judiciary guaranteeing that both men will be tried and punished only for the crimes for which their extradition was granted.
Furthermore, the notes assured that they will not face the death penalty, life imprisonment, or sentences exceeding 50 years in prison (the maximum in Costa Rica), and that they will not be prosecuted for crimes already tried in Costa Rican courts.
Last Friday, the judge reviewed compliance with this requirement and approved the extradition. Attorney General Carlo Díaz explained that once this step is completed, the organization of the extradition operation will be very expedited.
“The U.S. government is keen for the extradition to take place as soon as possible. They have stated that, once we confirm that the extradition can proceed, they will send a plane very quickly to transport both individuals.
Once the judge has verified and diplomatically informed the U.S. government that the entire process has been completed and the extradition can take place, I could practically say that the plane that will transport them to Texas will arrive in less than a week, that is what the DEA has told me,” Díaz explained.
The transfer will be legally overseen by a judge, who must notify the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) to prepare the police operation that will allow them to be transferred from the maximum-security module of the prison known as La Reforma to the airport where the aircraft will land.
The OIJ’s elite unit, the Special Tactical Response Service (SERT), will be responsible for the transfer to the aircraft, as has been the case every time these individuals have been extradited to court for legal proceedings.
Although the DEA can normally use commercial flights to transport prisoners, in this case, it will use one of its own aircraft, as is the case in high-profile cases, such as the extradition of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández in 2022.
“In this case, they will bring their own plane and carry out the transfer with their own personnel. That speaks to the profile of these extraditions, the first two (from Costa Rica, one of them was a prosecutor, a judge, a deputy minister, a minister, and a high-profile individual,” Diaz explained.
Among the aircraft used by the DEA that could be seen on the day Gamboa and López are picked up are small and medium-sized planes, such as the Beechcraft King Air (B200 and B350) and the Diamond DA42 and DA62, used for tactical operations and, in some cases, extraditions.
Although authorities intend to do it as soon as possible, the legal deadline for completing the extradition is two months, according to Michael Castillo, Gamboa’s lawyer.
“The final stage of the extradition process, the formal handover, is now beginning. Starting today, the requesting country has two months to complete the necessary administrative procedures and then make the formal handover at the airport.
We don’t know the date or time; it’s a matter for the requesting country, and due to protocol, they don’t tell us,” the lawyer explained.