Q COSTARICA — Former Finance Minister in the Chaves administration, Nogui Acosta, was chosen by the National Assembly of the Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPSO) as the first candidate for legislator for the canton of San José.
Acosta, who last month resigned his appointment as Finance Minister in the current administration, will lead the list in the upcoming legislative elections.
As to his academic qualifications, the former Minister holds a master’s degree in Economics with an emphasis on Business Economics and a bachelor’s degree in Economics with an emphasis on Business Administration.
“It’s a great honor; from Congress, we will make every effort to achieve the necessary reforms for the country to move forward,” said Nogui Acosta.
Nogui Acosta, Stephan Brunner, and Anna Katharina Müller are among the PPSO candidates for the Legislative Assembly in the 2026 elections
The ballot for San José also includes other prominent figures from the national political scene.
Among them is Stephan Brunner, former Vice President of the Chaves administration, who also resigned from his position and is now taking on the PPSO’s candidacy for Congress.
Also notable is former Education Minister Anna Katharina Müller, who left her position in the Executive Branch and joined the campaign alongside presidential candidate Laura Fernández.
The final order of the top spots on the list of 18 candidates for deputy for San José is as follows:
Nogui Acosta
Kattia Mora
Stephan Brunner
Mayuli Ortega
Gonzalo Ramírez
Anna Katharina Müller
With this list, the PPSO defines its first proposals for positions in the Legislative Assembly ahead of the 2026 elections and is fully preparing for the electoral campaign, which has already begun
Q COSTARICA — Juan Santamaría International Airport, known as the San José airport (SJO), managed by AERIS, has consolidated its position as a regional and global benchmark in passenger experience management by achieving Level 5 Customer Experience (CX) certification from Airports Council International (ACI).
This distinction, the highest within the program, positions SJO as the second airport in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the fifth worldwide, to earn this recognition.
“This accreditation reaffirms our commitment to offering every passenger an authentic Pura Vida experience. It is the result of the collaborative work of the entire airport community and the constant effort to innovate, provide excellent service, and raise international standards of care. This milestone places us among the top five airports in the world to provide world-class service, always aligned with our purpose of connecting every traveler with the best of Costa Rica,” said Ricardo Hernández, Executive Director of AERIS.
Level 5 certification recognizes a high level of maturity in passenger experience management, highlighting the integration of the entire airport community into a strong, customer-centric culture.
This stage involves not only improving traveler perception and satisfaction, but also closely linking it to employee engagement and well-being.
Innovative Initiatives
Creation of the SJO Customer Experience Committee, comprised of representatives from airlines, government entities, retailers, and AERIS.
Employee Experience Program, with integration and sports activities, such as a soccer tournament with representatives from the airport community, and a recognition program for those who contribute to improvements in the passenger experience.
Co-creation workshops with the participation of passengers, airlines, and retailers to identify improvements and generate joint solutions.
More than 600 employees trained in teamwork, emotion management, and customer service under the “Pura Vida” concept.
Innovations in infrastructure and technology, such as the CT scanner pilot at security checkpoints, reorganization of check-in lines, improvements in signage, installation of an information totem pole, and mobile device charging stations.
Direct involvement of executives in the care and observation of the passenger experience, participating in tours, focus groups, and direct customer service.
Annual implementation of an engagement survey, the objective of which is to listen to employee feedback to understand their level of satisfaction and well-being in the workplace, identify areas for improvement, and promote a positive environment at the airport, reflected in improved passenger service.
Measurable Results in Satisfaction and Experience
Since 2022, the overall passenger satisfaction and experience indicators have shown steady growth, reaching ratings of 4.49 and 4.45 out of 5, respectively, in 2025. These results reflect the positive impact of a sustained strategy of active listening and continuous improvement.
Currently, only 21 airports in Latin America are part of ACI’s CX program. Along with Quito Airport, SJO is the only airport in the region with Level 5 certification, consolidating its position as a regional leader and a model for other airports around the world.
For AERIS, this achievement is a milestone on a path of continuous improvement. Upcoming goals include the implementation of biometrics at immigration controls, the pursuit of new accreditations such as ACI’s Sunflowers and Accessibility certifications, and the incorporation of advanced technology to control processing times at passenger touchpoints.
Q COSTARICA — Former Costa Rica President Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría (1998 – 2002) will face trial in the so-called “reinsurance case,” more than two decades after the investigation against him began.
The case, opened in 2001, revolves around alleged payments made by UK reinsurance companies to officials of the then administration, with the goal of becoming the reinsurance companies of the state insurer, the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS).
According to the Judiciary, the case focuses on allegations of alleged illegal commissions linked to contracts signed by the INS.
Although a final dismissal had been issued in favor of Rodríguez during the proceedings, that ruling was appealed, and an interim judge subsequently decided to bring the case to trial, thus keeping open a 24-year-old process.
Cristian Arguedas, the former president’s defense attorney, criticized the decision to bring the matter to trial after so much time and in a complex personal context for his client.
“Certainly, 24 years after the case began, we are going to trial in the so-called reinsurance case. As a defense attorney, I regret it, and above all as a human being, it pains me greatly that Don Miguel Ángel has to face this process at this time, when he and his wife are facing a serious health situation. In other words, the trial comes at the worst possible time for him personally,” Arguedas stated.
The lawyer also questioned the length of time of the case and asserted that basic principles of due process have been violated.
“It is a disgrace for the country that 24 years later, Don Miguel Ángel Rodríguez has to appear in court, when the Constitutional Court has already declared that the principle of prompt and complete justice has been violated. In other words, that principle continues to be violated. So, let’s see the absurdity of all this,” he added.
Finally, Arguedas maintained that his client should be acquitted, considering that Rodríguez had no involvement in the alleged acts.
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría, Costa Rican economist, lawyer, businessman and politician who served as President of Costa Rica from 1998 to 2002. Among his political achievements are being the Minister of Planning from 1968 to 1970 and Minister of the Presidency in 1970 during the administration of José Joaquin Trejos Fernández (1966 – 1970); serving as president of the Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 1992; and being elected Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) in 2004. He voluntarily stepped down from this post to return to his country and face allegations of financial wrongdoing during his presidency in Costa Rica. On April 27, 2011, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison, but this ruling was later reversed in a December 2012 decision by an appeals court, which found him innocent of all charges.
Q COSTARICA –The appointment of Marta Esquivel, former executive president of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) and former Minister of Planning, as the first-place candidate for legislator for the province of Heredia on the Patriso Pueblo Soberano (PPSO) ballot, drew strong criticism from former Health Minister Joselyn Chacón (2022-2023).
Chacón described Esquivel’s appointment as “regrettable” and questioned her record in public office, asserting that her actions do not represent the values of Costa Rican women.
“Mrs. Marta Esquivel, justice does not mean firing officials for political affiliations or during maternity leave, which is one of the most fragile times for many women, nor does it mean intimidating officials at the Heredia Hospital or placing a pupil of yours who never did anything to earn a position in second place,” Chacón stated on her Facebook account.
The former health minister added that, while she recognizes other candidates on the ballot who do have merits to aspire to a legislative seat, Esquivel’s presence taints the internal process.
“Both this and other candidates are regrettable, but I do take my hat off to other people who do deserve to be on that ballot, and I say this with full knowledge of the facts (…) This doesn’t mean that I’m not an option for whom to vote, but you know I speak directly, and as a woman, I’m not represented by Mrs. Martha,” she stated.
Chacón also sent a direct message to Esquivel, pointing out that her leadership style contradicts the representation that women should have in politics:
“We’re electing our next Assembly; let it be with arguments, but a mother who uses her position to figuratively kill other women is not and will not be a woman I’m going to applaud.”
Q24N — The United States government announced that visas for fans wishing to attend the 2026 World Cup will be thoroughly reviewed.
According to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, all applications will go through a rigorous process, although she emphasized that visitors are welcome.
President Donald Trump added that some countries will have a “very easy” time and others “a little more difficult” in obtaining permission.
This announcement comes amid growing immigration tensions: the United States maintains policies of deportations, revocation of permits, and frequent raids. Added to this is the lack of a system equivalent to the “Fan ID,” which allowed simplified access for fans in previous World Cups.
This suggests that, despite the declared openness, access to the tournament could become a challenge for many international fans.
World Cup organizers and local authorities have already expressed concern about how these measures will affect the influx of foreign fans and resident migrants.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. It will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in the United States (the main host country), Canada, and Mexico.
The 2026 edition will be the first to include 48 teams, expanded from 32. As the host nations, Canada, Mexico, and the United States all automatically qualified. Argentina is the defending champion, having won its third title in 2022.
Interestingly, Mexico City’s Estadio Banorte is the largest of the 16 venues, with a capacity of 87,523, while Toronto’s BMO Field has the lowest capacity with 28,180.
Q COSTARICA — Going to the bathroom outside the home continues to be a taboo topic in Central America.
45% of people avoid using the toilet at work, according to a survey conducted by Kimberly-Clark and its Scott® brand, while 54% expressed discomfort doing so in public spaces or other people’s homes.
Although 85% of those surveyed acknowledged that it is a natural process that should not be a cause for shame, the data reflects the persistence of cultural stigmas that influence workers’ daily behavior.
The problem goes beyond the social, as health specialists warn that delaying the need to evacuate for prolonged periods can have serious consequences.
Constant retention can cause everything from constipation to more severe complications such as gastrointestinal perforation.
Furthermore, when it becomes a habit, it increases the possibility of chronic inflammation of the colon due to the accumulation of bacteria, which increases the risk of developing colon cancer in the long term.
The time workers spend in offices makes the problem even more relevant.
With almost half of employees avoiding using the bathroom during their workday, exposure to these health risks increases.
The results of the study led Kimberly-Clark, through its Scott® brand, to launch the “Feel Comfortable” campaign, aimed at breaking down prejudices and normalizing an action essential to human well-being.
“In response to the survey results on the stigma surrounding using the bathroom in public places, Scott® is launching this campaign with the aim of not only destigmatizing the taboos surrounding the topic, but also normalizing an activity that is essential for the human body and that, if prolonged over long periods, can be detrimental to health,” said Kenneth Hylton, Marketing Director for Family and Professional Care in Latin America at Kimberly-Clark.
To learn more about the Scott® campaign, you can visit the brand’s social media profiles on Instagram and Facebook.
Q COSTARICA — Tires, neumáticos in Spanish, are the only point of contact between your car and the road, and their condition can make the difference between a safe trip and an accident.
Despite their importance, many people forget to check them regularly, which increases risks.
Uneven or excessive tire wear is one of the most common problems in recent years, according to data from the Costa Rican vehicle inspection system.
Every year, there are tons of accidents all over caused by bad tires.
“Small everyday actions, such as checking tire pressure or tread wear, make a big difference. Adopting these habits not only improves vehicle performance but also promotes more reliable and efficient driving,” said Jorge Sánchez, sales manager for Ford Costa Rica, part of the Grupo Purdy.
Grupo Purdy has over 66 years in the Costa Rican market, specializing in the distribution and sale of new and used vehicles, as well as value-added services related to mobility.
Founded in 2959 by Xavier Quirós Oreamuno, Grupo Purdy is now led by his sons, Javier and Amadeo Quirós. In 2024, Toyota Tsusho, the investment arm of Toyota Motor Corporation, acquired a 25% stake in Grupo Purdy, becoming an important strategic partner.
Grupo Purdy brands include Toyota, Lexus, Ford, Volkswagen, Hino, Subaru, XPeng, Faw Trucks, Hino and Higer,
On the road, tires play a critical role because they are the only point that maintains the connection with the pavement. Constant monitoring and proper maintenance are key to preventing risks and ensuring safe journeys.
Grupo Purdy shares five key tips for proper tire maintenance to ensure safe driving:
1. Check tire pressure regularly.
The proper tire pressure is indicated in your driver’s manual or on the sticker located on the car door.
Low tire pressure increases braking distance and increases the risk of flat tires, while overinflation reduces traction on wet surfaces.
Technologies such as Ford’s Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) alert you when a tire has an incorrect tire pressure.
2. Watch for uneven tire wear
Uneven tread wear can be a sign of alignment, balance, or suspension problems.
Detecting it early through regular checks prevents unstable handling and prolongs tire life.
3. Avoid prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures
Heat accelerates deterioration and increases the possibility of flat tires, especially at high speeds.
In contrast, cold weather hardens rubber and reduces traction, so taking care of the environment where you park and drive is key to their durability.
4. Check the manufacturing date
Tires also expire; even if they’re not used, their materials degrade over time.
It’s recommended to replace them after five years of manufacture, even if they appear to be in good condition.
The date can be checked on the tire’s sidewalls: the first two numbers indicate the week of production, and the next two, the year.
“It’s not always taken into account that tires also have an expiration date. Even if they don’t show visible damage, an expired tire can lose its properties and compromise the safety of the vehicle,” added Sánchez.
5. Perform periodic inspections
A professional checkup at an authorized service center can detect problems that are invisible to the naked eye.
It’s also an opportunity to identify embedded objects such as nails or stones, which can cause leaks or structural damage.
In these cases, it is advisable to replace the tire, without resorting to repairs or retreading.
Q COSTARICA — President Rodrigo Chaves described the accusation against him as a blatant setup led by the Judicial Branch’s security network. He asserted that the act was revenge against him to silence him because he has reported cases that no president has.
“This is a country of impunity, where there is no justice, much less justice served. Cases like Diamante, Cochinilla, and Aldesa are never resolved, while drug traffickers and hitmen enter and leave the courts as if nothing had happened,” Chaves stated during his appearance on Friday before the special legislative commission discussing where to recommend to the Legislative Assembly to lift presidential immunity so that criminal proceedings can be opened against Chaves.
In the appearance, accompanied by his personal lawyer, José Miguel Villalobos, Chaves maintained that two of the three branches of government are “atrophied,” referring to the Legislative and the Judiciary, and urged their reforms.
Chaves argued that, since his first appearance before the Full Court, he dared to denounce the indifference of the judiciary in high-profile investigations and that, since then, “they want to take revenge, punish me, or gag me.”
He asserted that the Prosecutor’s Office is “incompetent and servile” and that the Constitutional Court has become “a de facto constituent assembly, with increasingly absurd interpretations of the Constitution.”
The president is being charged with possible bribery, as is Jorge Rodríguez, the Minister of Culture, who allegedly demanded US$32,000 from presidential advisor Federico “Choreco” Cruz.
That money, according to the complaint, was intended as a down payment for the purchase of a house in the Barlovento residential area in La Unión and came from a contract with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) for communications services for Government House (Casa Presidencial).
He claims that his government was threatened with police raids related to the Parque Viva case, the CCSS, Civil Aviation, MOPT, and with rumors and threats of raiding Casa Presidencial.
He asserts that all of these “were messages for me.”
“But they won’t succeed. I am supported by a public willing to pass the bill on to whoever has to pay, hopefully with the means that democracy provides.”
Rodrigo Chaves’ personal lawyer accuses Fiscal General (Attorney General) Carlo Díaz of “fabricating a case”.
Sitting beside his client, after a lengthy presentation, José Miguel Villalobos, accused Fiscal General (Attorney General) Carlo Díaz of making a “gross error”.
Villalobos maintained that the alleged down payment for the home for Federico Cruz was paid directly by Bulgarelli to the condominium owner, so Díaz needed to “fabricate a case against Bulgarelli” and then offer him immunity to testify against Chaves.
“How can the businessman be the victim of a crime and, at the same time, accused of actual favoritism?” the lawyer questioned, calling the accusation “perverse.”
Could Rodrigo Chaves go to jail?
Legislators are currently analyzing the Full Court’s request to lift presidential immunity. If convicted of extortion, Chaves could face a prison sentence ranging from two to eight years, according to the Penal Code.
This is an unprecedented case in Costa Rican history, as no sitting president has ever been stripped of his immunity to face criminal proceedings.
According to the law, legislators are responsible for analyzing the case and ratifying, by a majority vote of 38 of the 57 votes, to lift the president’s immunity for a criminal trial to proceed.
Immunity is a privilege enjoyed by legislators, presidents, vice presidents, and ministers, allowing them to carry out their duties without legal problems.
In the case that Chávez had resigned the presidency, as had been speculated, to run for a legislative seat in the 2026 elections, the bribery charge would be heard in a regular court, and a decision by the Legislative Assembly would not be required, nor would the Third Chamber be in charge of the trial.
Q COSTARICA — The Chavista party, Pueblo Soberano (PPSO), behind closed doors and without access to the media after a prolonged sit-in on Sunday, chose its candidates for legislators.
The rally to define the list of legislative candidates in each province began at 9:30 am and lasted until the evening.
Among the candidates for a legislative seat are former ministers and state institution heads who resigned from Rodrigo Chaves’ Cabinet, such as Nogui Acosta (former finance minister), Stephan Brunner (former Vice-president), Anna Müller (former Minister of Education), and Esmeralda Briton (former president of the State lottery); the president’s personal lawyer (José Miguel Villalobos); former officials investigated in the Barrenador Case, such as Marta Esquivel (former president of the CCSS) and María Isabel Camareno (former CCSS board member); former Minister of Culture dismissed by Chaves, Nayuribe Guadamuz; as well as several influencers and TikTokers close to the government, such as Robert Junior, among others.
Chaves’ former finance minister and former vice-president will lead the ticket in the first place for San José.
Reports indicated that presidential candidate Laura Fernández was the one who chose and defined the order of the list for the different provinces. This despite an express prohibition by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).
Open Cases
Of the official candidates, Marta Esquivel, Nogui Acosta, Stephan Brunner, Juan Manuel Quesada, and Esmeralda Britton have 30 criminal cases pending before the Public Prosecutor’s Office during their time in Rodrigo Chaves’s Cabinet.
Registration requirements for candidates to the Legislative Assembly
The legal qualifications to become a candidate to be elected to the Legislative Assembly are: be at least 21 years of age, and hold citizenship. For naturalized citizens, there is a requirement of a minimum of ten years of residence in the country after having obtained citizenship.
Only the candidates nominated by the parties registered in the Civil Registry are entitled to participate in the elections to the Legislative Assembly and the President.
See here for an English translation of Costa Rica’s Electoral Act, certified by the American
Translators Association
Q COSTARICA — The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) – Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, announced on Friday that, starting September 1, toll collection at the Río Segundo and Naranjo toll booths on Ruta 1 will be suspended.
According to the MOPT, toll collection at the two specified locations (east of the airport in the San José-Alajuela direction and southeast of the Naranjo cutoff in the Alajuela-San José direction) will be suspended indefinitely. This decision aims to alleviate traffic congestion on the major national highway.
“As of September 1, toll collection at the Alajuela toll booths will be suspended indefinitely. We have listened to the people of Alajuela and are taking action. No more traffic jams, no more tourists missing their flights, no more delays for businesses or residents traveling there,” MOPT Minister Efraín Zeledón explained.
Could this possibly encourage Globalvia, the operators of Ruta 27, to take similar action?
Q24N – Colombia seems to be turning back to its old ways, as violence is spiking in the country, one year before the presidential elections.
A truck bomb, drones, and rifles: Colombia experienced a bloody day on Thursday with two attacks that left 18 dead and dozens injured in the worst onslaught by armed groups in the last decade.
Around 3:00 pm local time, a truck loaded with explosives exploded on a busy street in Cali, the country’s third most populous city.
The attack on a military aviation school left six dead and more than 60 injured, according to the latest reports. The mayor’s office ordered the militarization of the city.
Images spread on social media show burning vehicles, destroyed homes, injured people on the ground, and people fleeing in terror amid the sound of alarms and screams.
The government blamed the attack on the largest FARC dissident group, known as the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), led by alias Iván Mordisco.
Hours earlier, a police helicopter was shot down in the department of Antioquia in northern Colombia, killing 12 officers and injuring several others.
The national police Black Hawk helicopter was transporting personnel to the rural Amalfi area to eradicate a coca leaf crops, the raw material used to make cocaine.
Antioquia governor Andres Julian said in a post on X that a drone attacked the helicopter as it flew over coca leaf crops.
In a later post, he asked why authorities had failed to rescue the injured and recover the bodies of the dead nine hours after the helicopter downing.
On August 11, the right-wing favorite, Miguel Uribe, died after being shot in the head.
The two dissident groups involved, at odds with each other, rejected the peace agreement signed in 2016 with the main FARC force.
The north of Cali was in chaos on Thursday afternoon.
Hours after the terrorist attack in Cali, authorities neutralized a suspect. At the time of writing, El Tiempo reported that the individual’s background was being analyzed, along with images and connections.
The Colombian newspaper reported that the man was a 26-year-old wearing blue overalls and coughing up blood. He was restrained by civilians, and videos showed him being beaten while they accused him of operating the explosive vehicle.
In addition to him, another individual dressed in a similar outfit was detained by the police to verify his possible connection to the attack.
Reactions from Colombian leaders and political sectors
Colombian President Gustavo Petro held a minute of silence in tribute to the victims and described the events as a reaction by the Central General Staff (EMC)—a faction led by alias “Iván Mordisco”—against the military operations that are weakening its influence.
He stated that his government will declare the Gulf Clan, the country’s main criminal gang, and two dissident groups of the former FARC, the EMC and the Segunda Marquetalia, as “terrorist” organizations.
The head of the Ministry of the Interior, Armando Benedetti, announced that urgent strategies will be activated to dismantle the criminal networks responsible for the attacks, strengthening security in the territories.
On social media, political leader Sergio Fajardo harshly questioned the government’s security management: “How many more bombs? How many more deaths? … Wake up.”
Presidential candidate Juan Manuel Galán expressed solidarity with the victims and demanded a clear and forceful government strategy to combat violence: “This cowardly attack (…) plunges the country into mourning.”
Efraín Cepeda, a former senator and conservative leader, denounced the situation as a serious failure of the state, demanding strong intervention and lamenting the escalation of violence and the apparent government inaction.
Colombia faces surge in armed violence
Colombia is in the midst of a dramatic surge in violence from armed conflict less than 10 years after the 2016 peace deal between the government and FARC.
The lucrative drug trade is one of the reasons driving this rising violence.
Coca leaf cultivation is on the rise in Colombia, one of the world’s leading cocaine producers.
The area under cultivation reached a record 253,000 hectares in 2023, according to the latest report available from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica authorities have ruled out a tsunami following the 8.0 magnitude earthquake, downgraded to 7.5, that struck off the coast of South America on Thursday.
“Based on the information available so far, there is no tsunami risk for Costa Rica due to the Mw 8.0 earthquake that occurred in the Drake Passage,” reported the UNA-UCR National Tsunami Monitoring System (Sinamot).
The epicenter of the quake was located 706 kilometers northwest of the city of Toluín, on the Argentine island of Tierra del Fuego, at a depth of 10.8 kilometers, in the sea between South America and Antarctica.
Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, early Friday morning, at 12:45 am, a strong earthquake shook the country.
According to the Red Sismológica Nacional (RSN), National Seismological Network, the earthquake had a magnitude of 4.3, with its epicenter 1 km southeast of San Juan de Tibás.
The depth of the earthquake was estimated at 5 kilometers, consistent with a local fault origin.
The earthquake was felt with considerable force in San José, Moravia, San Pedro, and Heredia, according to initial reports.
According to the LIS-UCR automatic report, the earthquake reached an intensity of 5 to 7 on the Mercalli scale (1 to 10) at stations located at the University of Costa Rica and in Coronado; as well as an intensity of 3 to 5 at Paseo Colón, La Sabana, Hatillo, Cuesta de Moras, Escazú, Pavas, Santo Domingo, and the National Theater.
Q COSTARICA — Celso Gamboa was appointed magistrate in February 2016. A year later, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) authorities were able to determine that the former Minister of Security, former Deputy Chief of Staff, and former Director of the DIS, was involved in the manufacture and distribution of cocaine.
This is stated in the formal indictment against Gamboa, according to La Nación, citing the accusation filed by a Texas court.
“On multiple dates during or around 2017, and continuously since then until the date of this formal indictment, Gamboa Sánchez complicitly and knowingly and intentionally manufactured and distributed five or more kilograms of a mixture and substance with a detectable cocaine content,” the indictment states.
On Thursday, under strict security, Gamboa was taken to court to review official documents for his extradition. During the court appearance, officials from the DEA participated in the activity.
Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it had placed the former Costa Rican judge on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list, resulting in the freezing of Gamboa’s assets, including properties, bank accounts, and vehicles in the United States.
The sanction also applies to Alejandro James Wilson, alias “Turesky”; Edwin López Vega, alias “Pecho Rata”; and Alejandro Arias Monge, alias “Diablo”, Costa Rica’s most wanted fugitive, for whom the United States has placed a US$500,000 bounty for information leading to an arrest and/or conviction.
Similarly, the law firm Celso Gamboa & Asociados and the Limón Black Star FC soccer club were also designated and barred from conducting transactions with the U.S. financial system.
The U.S. Treasury Department also claims that Gamboa used an “extensive network of contacts within the government” to obtain information on anti-drug investigations, which he then sold to the targets of those same investigations.
“Gamboa was a major drug trafficker in Costa Rica who facilitated the shipment of tens of millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine from Colombia, through Costa Rica, to the United States and Europe.
“As Costa Rica’s former Deputy Minister of Public Security, Gamboa used his extensive network of contacts within the government to obtain information on ongoing counternarcotics investigations. He subsequently sold this information to the targets of those same investigations,” the report states.
Q COSTARICA (InsightCrime) Costa Rica’s recent extradition agreement with the United States brings the growing drug-trafficking hub in line with other key nations in the region, but perennial doubts over the effectiveness of the measure in the fight against organized crime remain.
President Rodrigo Chaves signed a constitutional amendment at the end of May allowing the extradition of Costa Rican nationals for international drug trafficking and terrorism offenses. The reform was passed with significant legislative support, receiving 44 out of 57 votes in its final debate.
This move responds to growing concerns over the judiciary’s capacity to effectively prosecute high-level criminal cases — particularly amid escalating drug-related violence. Recent years have seen a marked increase in judicial corruption, with cases more than doubling between 2019 and 2023. In June 2024 alone, authorities apprehended 20 state employees in one week, over half of whom worked in the court system.
According to Osvaldo Ramírez Miranda, Sub-Chief of the Section against Organized Crime at the Judicial Investigation Organism (OIJ), the reform also seeks to strengthen cohesion at both the national and international levels. The initiative reflects strong alignment across the branches of Costa Rica’s government, “which promoted this reform from the Constitutional Court to the Legislative Assembly as part of their national security agenda,” he told InSight Crime.
Internationally, the measure brings Costa Rica in line with countries that already permit the extradition of their own citizens, addressing a long-standing lack of reciprocity in judicial cooperation.
InSight Crime Analysis
Although Costa Rica’s extradition reform has been welcomed by officials as a step forward, regional precedents cast doubts about the measure’s effectiveness in curbing organized crime.
Ramírez suspects its impact is likely to be limited, as the reform focuses exclusively on drug trafficking and terrorism. Meanwhile, organized crime has adapted by decentralizing and diversifying, engaging in cyber fraud, extortion, illegal mining, and human trafficking — areas which often fall outside the scope of these agreements. The reform also fails to address the structural drivers of organized crime, such as rising drug demand in international markets or the lack of licit employment opportunities that push individuals to engage in criminal networks.
These factors have undermined similar efforts elsewhere in the region, where extradition has failed to deliver lasting results.
The most recent and comparable case is Ecuador. President Daniel Noboa took office in late 2023 amid unprecedented violence. As part of his crackdown on gangs, he called for a national referendum on April 21, 2024, which approved constitutional reforms allowing the extradition of Ecuadorian citizens.
However, the security situation remains dire. In January, 781 murders were reported, making it the deadliest month in recent years. Many of these are directly linked to the illegal drug trade, in which Ecuador is playing a growing role. The country now serves as a major transit point for cocaine from neighboring Peru and Colombia, with a significant portion of the world’s cocaine flowing through its ports.
Another example is Colombia. Their extradition policy — ratified by a 1997 constitutional amendment — has helped weaken major criminal organizations by enabling the transfer of dozens of high-ranking leaders, including figures from the Cali, Norte del Valle, and Gulf clans, to face prosecution in the United States. Nevertheless, the country remains a regional crime hub.
While the measure has offered short-term victories in dismantling criminal networks, kingpin arrests and extraditions have often preceded spikes in violence. In 2008, the extradition of drug lord Diego Fernando Murillo, alias “Don Berna,” created a power vacuum that fueled violent turf battles, doubling Medellín’s homicide rates. More recently, in July 2022, the Gulf Clan launched an offensive following the extradition of its then-leader, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, known as “Otoniel.” As some cartels fractured or lost leadership, others relocated operations abroad to avoid extradition risks, contributing to the spread of transnational organized crime, Brenes said.
Another example is Mexico. Despite an extradition treaty with the United States dating to 1861, Mexico historically resisted extraditing its own nationals, with the first extradition in 1995. This changed significantly at the turn of the century. Between 2000 and 2022, official records show Mexico extradited 1,389 people to the United States.
Recently, Sheinbaum’s presidency has seen Mexico-US cooperation prioritize enhanced security efforts. Still, Mexican criminal groups have expanded their territorial control from 10% to 30% of the country over the last decade, and their international influence has grown.
Similarly, Honduras’ 2012 constitutional amendment permitting the extradition of nationals accused of drug trafficking has seen several high-profile individuals sent to the United States. Notably, former President Juan Orlando Hernández and former police chief Juan Carlos Bonilla were extradited in 2022 and subsequently convicted in 2024 for conspiring to import over 500 tons of cocaine into the United States.
Viera-Chirinos and Elmer Matute, two prominent individuals in the local drug trade, were extradited in February 2024 and sentenced in March 2025, disrupting drug distribution networks. Despite these efforts, Honduras continues to grapple with persistent security challenges. The country faces rampant corruption and violence driven by both local and transnational criminal organizations. As of 2023, the homicide rate stood at 31 per 100,000 inhabitants, ranking as the eighth highest worldwide. In December 2022, the government declared a state of emergency to combat extortion and related crimes. This measure, which suspends certain constitutional rights, has been extended 15 times and remains in effect.
Another dynamic behind the reform in Costa Rica, however, seems more promising, which was the drive “to restrict and eliminate the entry of foreign criminals and drug traffickers seeking to become Costa Ricans to protect themselves from international justice,” said Mario Brenes, former regional advisor for Latin America at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
For years, foreign criminals — especially from Colombia and Mexico — obtained citizenship through relatively accessible pathways like marriage, residency, or investment, and then used constitutional protections to evade prosecution after committing crimes abroad.
“The justice system in that country could not request extradition simply because the Constitution did not allow it, encouraging impunity,” Brenes added. By closing this loophole, the amendment could end what has become a safe haven for transnational criminals.
QCOSTARICA — The United States Embassy in San José delivered this week the necessary documentation to the Judiciary to request the extradition of former magistrate and minister, Celso Gamboa.
According to the Extradition Law in force earlier this year, after receiving the documents, the Court gives the accused 20 business days to respond to accusations brought against him from a foreign nation.
At the same time, the request to extend the provisional detention (remand) expires next Saturday, for both Gamboa and Edwin López Vega, alias Pecho de Rata, in the maximum security module of La Reforma prison is being reviewed.
Gamboa is wanted in Texas, where he is accused of participating in an international drug trafficking network, among other charges.
On July 9, 2025, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas issued and returned an Indictment against Gamboa Sánchez.
An FBI special agent was instrumental in uncovering the alleged criminal activity involving Gamboa, revealing cocaine trafficking operations and multimillion-dollar transactions.
This is reflected in an affidavit submitted last week as evidence to the San José Criminal Court in the extradition proceedings against Gamboa Sánchez, Edwin López Vega (Pecho de Rata), and Jonathan Álvarez Alfaro (Venus Case).
The crime carries penalties ranging from ten years in prison to life imprisonment, in addition to fines that could reach US$10 million and at least five years of post-trial supervision. These penalties will be aggravated if there are previous convictions.
Documents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office indicate that, from 2017 until his arrest on June 23 by the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), under a request from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Gamboa allegedly participated in operations to transport cocaine from Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico to the United States.
Can you be extradited from Costa Rica?
Yes. Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly passed a constitutional amendment in May, allowing the extradition of nationals for international drug trafficking and terrorism. On 28 May, Costa Rica’s President Rodrigo Chaves signed the law.
Among the considerations to be taken by Costa Rica’s judiciary in the extradition process is the penalty that could be imposed on the Costa Rican in the United States.
Article 5 of “The United States and Costa Rica Extradition Treaty”, a Costa Rica judge can refuse extradition when the offense for which extradition is requested is punishable by death under the laws of the requesting state, unless, before extradition is granted, the requesting state furnishes such assurances that the death penalty shall not be imposed, or, if imposed, shall not be executed.
RICO’S Q — The commuter train in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) has always been low on the list for governments and politicians. You might even say it hasn’t even been a real priority for INCOFER, Costa Rica’s railway agency responsible for running the trains.
I mention this because the trains only run Monday through Friday, and only during morning and afternoon rush hours. There’s no service on weekends or holidays, and nothing during the gaps between those peak hours.
In my opinion, running commuter trains throughout the day, including weekends and holidays, could be a solid way to ease the growing traffic congestion in the GAM.
That is why the proposal by presidential candidate, Natalia Diaz, for the Unidos Podemos party caught my attention.
In addition, if she becomes president in May 2026, the presidential candidate would continue the electric train project initiated by the current government, as, according to her, selfishness is unacceptable, especially when Costa Ricans suffer daily from traffic congestion.
“What can I do in parallel while the electric train is being developed? Figure out what I can do to improve the current train. I’ll give you an example. The train doesn’t run on holidays or weekends. It’s not operating because there’s perhaps a lack of funding. Currently, it runs a few times a day, not 24 hours a day, and although it couldn’t because maintenance is required, it could run with more schedules and on weekends and mitigate the problem while we solve the major problem that could take more than four years to resolve. People can’t wait for a major project,” said Díaz.
Lack of clarity
With just over eight months left until the end of the current administration, it’s unclear what the future of the electric train will be.
At the moment, the government hasn’t specifically announced its plans, only saying that the plan would cost around US$800 million. It has also warned that an additional loan would be needed to complete the project and that only two lines would be built.
In that sense, Díaz is committed to continuing with the plan.
“I’m going to take up whatever project the government leaves me ready. Not because it’s this government, but because I would have taken whatever government left behind. Sometimes, out of selfishness, a new government comes in and says, ‘Since it wasn’t my project or we didn’t do the studies, then I’m going to undo it and start over.’ We’ll have to wait and see how this project turns out in April of next year, but I’m going to continue it,” Díaz added.
Serious Problem
Drivers in Costa Rica lose between 3 and 8 minutes traveling every 100 meters in traffic congestion, according to the 2024 Competitiveness Index.
Congestion not only means lost time and fewer jobs, but also affects physical and mental health, raising stress levels.
The canton of Orotina is the area where drivers waste the most time in traffic congestion, averaging 7 minutes and 33 seconds per 100 meters traveled, while Cañas, Guanacaste, is the area where the least amount of time is reported, at only 2 minutes and 4 seconds.
Santa Ana, Heredia, Alajuela, Santo Domingo, Escazú, San José, Curridabat, Montes de Oca, and Tibás report time losses ranging from 6 to 3 minutes per 100 meters.
Meanwhile, in San José, Tibás, and Flores (Heredia), 90% of their roads are considered “congested” by Waze users on at least one occasion during 2023.
Natalia Diaz ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2022 elections. She was the Ministra de la Presidencia (Chief of Staff) for the first two years (May 8, 2022, to June 22, 2024) of the Rodrigo Chaves administration, and a legislator in the 2014-2018 period.
Q COSTARICA — The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has targeted four Costa Rican individuals and two local companies for their roles in drug trafficking and money laundering.
Costa Rica, a major stopover for cocaine shipments, has become a crucial route for criminal groups moving cocaine into the U.S. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that cocaine remains a serious threat.
The following is the press release on August 18, 2025, by the OFAC:
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated four Costa Rican nationals, as well as two Costa Rica-based entities, for their involvement in narcotics trafficking and money laundering. A key global cocaine transshipment hub, Costa Rica has become an increasingly significant waypoint for criminal groups trafficking cocaine into the United States. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 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.
“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 K. Hurley. “The sanctions being issued today 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.”
Today’s action is the culmination of a coordinated investigation with the DEA San José Country Office, the DEA Dallas Field Office, and Costa Rica’s Office of the Attorney General.
DRUG TRAFFICKING CONTINUES TO DRIVE VIOLENCE
Costa Rica continues to see increasing rates of violence, primarily driven by criminal organizations competing for control of drug trafficking routes. Data shows that 2024 was the second-most violent year on record for Costa Rica, and the data for 2025 thus far indicates the country is on pace for a similarly violent year. Costa Rican security and police officials attribute the increase in violence to drug trafficking organizations fighting over control of territory in the country. One region of Costa Rica where violence has increased significantly is Limón, which recorded the highest homicide rate in the country in 2024. Since the 2019 opening of the Moín seaport in Limón, criminal groups have continued to fight for control the port and its surrounding territory to ship cocaine inside containers leaving the port.
Today’s action builds on OFAC’s previous collaboration with the DEA in Costa Rica. On November 15, 2023, OFAC designated one of the most prolific drug traffickers in Limón—Costa Rican narcotics trafficker Gilbert Hernan de Los Angeles Bell Fernandez (Bell)—pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059 for the significant role he played in Costa Rica’s transformation into a major narcotics transit hub as well as the violence associated with his operations.
COUNTERING DRUG TRAFFICKING IN COSTA RICA
In May 2025, Costa Rica’s President signed a constitutional reform allowing the extradition of Costa Rican nationals accused of drug trafficking and terrorism, to include two of the individuals being targeted today: Celso Manuel Gamboa Sanchez (Gamboa)and Edwin Danney Lopez Vega (Lopez).
On June 23, 2025, Costa Rican police arrested Gamboa and Lopez on drug trafficking charges in response to an extradition request from the United States. Prior to his arrest, Gamboa was a major drug trafficker in Costa Rica. Gamboa had facilitated the shipment of tens of millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine from Colombia through Costa Rica to the United States and Europe.
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 narcotics traffickers across Costa Rica, bribing police and government officials to facilitate cocaine transport. He worked with numerous drug traffickers in Costa Rica, including OFAC-designated Bell, Alejandro Antonio James Wilson (James), Alejandro Arias Monge (Arias), and the now-incarcerated Lopez.
Gamboa also laundered his illicit drug proceeds through his companies in Costa Rica, two of which are being targeted today: Bufete Celso Gamboa & Asociados (Bufete) is a “doing business as” name and a sole proprietorship owned by Gamboa and headquartered in San José, and Limón Black Star FC (Limón) is a Limón-based soccer club in Costa Rica’s second division, which Gamboa also used to launder money.
James is a Costa Rican drug trafficker who shipped cocaine to the United States and Europe. Working closely with Gamboa, James used corrupt police and port officials to smuggle cocaine from Colombia into Costa Rica and then transship it to its destination through the Moín seaport.
Arias is a cocaine trafficker and Costa Rica’s most wanted fugitive. Another associate of Bell, Arias is involved in drug trafficking, robberies, and homicides throughout Limón province. Utilizing information from Gamboa’s government contacts to evade capture operations, Arias has been able to avoid arrest. The Department of State is offering a reward under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to $500,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction, in any country, of Arias.
Lopez is a Costa Rican drug trafficker based in Limón, Costa Rica. Also known as “Pecho de Rata,” he is the only known source of supply for Arias and works with James and Gamboa to traffic cocaine through Costa Rica. Lopez and Gamboa also work together to launder drug money.
Gamboa, James, Arias, and Lopez are being designated pursuant to E.O. 14059 for having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production.
Bufete and Limón are designated pursuant to E.O. 14059 for being directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Gamboa.
SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons.
Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis. OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions. In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities involving designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.
Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions involving the persons designated today may risk the imposition of secondary sanctions on participating foreign financial institutions. OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening or maintaining, in the United States, a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of a person who is designated pursuant to the relevant authority.
The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, or to submit a request, please refer to OFAC’s guidance on Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC List.
Q COSTARICA — After warning that in a new Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) government, “he who does wrong pays for it,” Juan Carlos Hidalgo, the party’s presidential candidate, asserted that “no violent criminal will serve time outside of prison.”
The “Unidad” candidate made this promise after a violent weekend, which saw a triple homicide and several other incidents that put Costa Rica on track to close the year with more than 900 homicides.
“We have to guarantee that everyone can live in peace, without fear of shootings or assaults. Security is a problem that requires comprehensive attention, and although there are no miracle cures, we will promote judicial reform so that no violent criminal serves time outside of prison. He who does wrong pays for it,” said Hidalgo.
The PUSC candidate is clear that the war between drug trafficking gangs over territory is the country’s main problem, and therefore, the first thing he would do would be “to work with our friends in the European Community to help us control the ports.”
Since the 2019 opening of the Moín seaport in Limón, criminal groups have continued to fight for control of the port and its surrounding territory to ship cocaine inside containers leaving the port.
On Monday, August 18, 2025, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said Costa Rica has become a key global cocaine transshipment hub for groups trafficking cocaine into the United States.
Image from the U.S. Department of the Treasury website
The idea, in this case, is to cut off drug traffickers’ income. Hidalgo also proposes penal reform to crack down on criminals and promises to strengthen the police force with more officers and better technological equipment.
Q COSTARICA — On Monday, the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Ministry of Culture, and the Municipality of San José unveiled the designs, master plan, and General Management Plan for the Simón Bolívar Urban Natural Park (UNUR).
The project to convert the former zoo into Costa Rica’s first urban natural park was put together by the Friends of Nature Association of the Central and South Pacific, supported by funding from the Transition to an Urban Green Economy Project, along with MINAE’s Central Conservation Area (ACC).
This effort is part of the Sustainable Cities Impact Program under the Global Environment Facility, rolled out by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS).
During the presentation, the Asociación Amigos de la Naturaleza del Pacífico Central y Sur (ASANA) shared a realistic vision of the former zoo’s transformation into the region’s first Urban Natural Park, which will feature a distinctive cultural and heritage route.
The guiding idea behind the new infrastructure is summed up as “Redefining what has been inherited.” The plan respects the site’s history while creatively adapting existing structures with a fresh, modern touch.They also introduced the General Management Plan—this official guide lays out the key priorities and management framework for the park over the next decade.
The focus is on restoring and protecting the forest and its wildlife, aquatic ecosystems, architectural and cultural treasures, plus spaces meant for recreation, learning, and wellbeing.
Three main strategies shape this vision: one targets conservation, restoration, and research of the natural environment; another focuses on preserving architectural and cultural heritage; and the third aims to maintain and enhance spaces that encourage community connection and personal well-being.
“This is a huge milestone—turning a former state zoo into the first Urban Natural Park in the Greater Metropolitan Area. It shows our administration’s dedication to wildlife protection and reflects a strong partnership between local and national governments,” said Franz Tattenbach, Minister of Environment and Energy.
He added that the park will offer a unique cultural and heritage circuit right in the heart of San José for everyone to enjoy. “We promised this months ago and have been working closely with partners across sectors to bring this environmental and cultural treasure back to life.”
The Simón Bolívar National Park (PANU) spans 2.63 hectares in El Carmen district, nestled within the Río Torres Interurban Biological Corridor.
Since opening to the public in 1921, it has evolved alongside society’s changing views on recreation and nature.
Many original elements remain intact, helping tell the park’s story. That’s why the Ministry of Culture and Youth has identified a heritage circuit with significant historical value, set to become a highlight for visitors.“In this iconic space, once home to the Simón Bolívar Zoo, we’re redefining how art, culture, and nature come together.
Thanks to the National Museum of Costa Rica, one of its natural collections will be relocated here, creating a dynamic environment for learning, research, and enjoyment,” said Jorge Rodríguez Vives, Minister of Culture.
He explained that the old animal cages will be repurposed as spaces for recreation, education, and art exhibitions. The goal is to turn them into lively hubs for creativity, culture, and community events that also support local economic revival.
In the short term (1-3 years), they plan to finish diagnostic and planning stages and kick off essential work to reopen the park.
The medium term (3-5 years) will focus on maintaining and restoring current infrastructure.
Longer-term (5-10 years) goals include building new facilities to broaden services and improve opportunities for leisure, education, and mental health.
San José’s mayor, Diego Miranda, welcomed the progress. “It’s great to see concrete plans moving forward for Simón Bolívar Park. The Municipality has been working with MINAE to clarify our role in this project, and we’ll soon finalize the details of our collaboration.”
He noted ongoing positive talks with the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), which could allow the Municipality to use some park facilities for community events.
“We’re also exploring options for the local government to contribute resources toward restoring parts of the park. All this will be formalized soon with an agreement,” said the mayor.
This content was created with assistance from AI tools. The content has been reviewed and edited by a human.
Q24N — The United States sent three of its most modern destroyers—the USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham, and the USS Sampson—to the Caribbean, accompanied by 4,000 troops, in what constitutes the most significant naval deployment in the region in recent years.
According to Reuters, the naval group that arrived in the last 36 hours is part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which specializes in rapid deployments and combined operations. The Pentagon had already anticipated this move days ago, justifying it as part of the United States’ strategy to “counter threats to national security from narcoterrorist organizations in the region.”
Caracas’s reaction was immediate. President Nicolás Maduro appeared on national television to announce the deployment of 4.5 million militia members throughout the country, with the aim of defending what he called Venezuelan sovereignty.
“We defend our seas, skies, and lands. No empire in the world will come to Venezuelan soil,” stated Maduro, who also described the US naval presence as a “humiliation” for South America.
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela are escalating amid a backdrop of economic sanctions and asset confiscations. Just last week, the Trump administration reported the seizure of more than US$700 million in properties allegedly linked to Maduro, including mansions in Florida and the Dominican Republic, airplanes, a horse farm, and high-value jewelry.
Military Technology and Symbolism
The three destroyers sent to the Caribbean belong to the Arleigh Burke class, considered among the most versatile and powerful ships in the U.S. Navy.
USS Gravely: Equipped with Tomahawk missiles, SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 air defense systems, and the Phalanx CIWS system. Its design includes a helicopter hangar and its name honors Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr., the first African American to command a warship in the U.S. Navy.
USS Jason Dunham: Also from the Flight IIA series, this ship pays tribute to Marine Corporal Jason Dunham, an Iraq War hero who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
USS Sampson: Named after Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, a protagonist in the Spanish-American War. It is the third ship in U.S. naval history to bear that name.
Each ship is equipped with the Aegis combat system, capable of detecting and neutralizing multiple threats, reinforcing the U.S.’s political-military message in the region.
The U.S. deployment comes at a time when Venezuela is facing a deep political, economic, and social crisis. Maduro, who is largely ignored by the international community, maintains his hold on power thanks to the support of military sectors, the repression of the opposition, and the diplomatic backing of allies such as Russia, Iran, and China.
The U.S., on the other hand, has led international pressure against his government, imposing sanctions, disavowing his legitimacy, and offering a US$50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
The arrival of the destroyers also seeks to strengthen U.S. cooperation with neighboring countries such as Colombia, Guyana, and the Caribbean islands, which have denounced the expansion of drug trafficking in the region.
Risks
Although the Pentagon insists that the operation is part of the strategy against drug trafficking, analysts warn that the U.S. military presence near the Venezuelan coast increases the risk of diplomatic incidents or even clashes at sea.
For some experts, the deployment constitutes a show of force that combines the fight against drugs with a clear political message of non-recognition of the Maduro regime. Others warn that the measure could escalate tensions and be used by Venezuela as an argument to reinforce its anti-imperialist rhetoric.
In any case, the presence of the U.S. destroyers just a few kilometers from Venezuela marks a new chapter in the confrontation between the United States and Venezuela, which mixes geopolitics, regional security, and the fight for control of strategic routes in the Caribbean.
With three state-of-the-art destroyers in the Caribbean and millions of militias deployed in Venezuela, the region is entering a period of maximum tension, where every move will be interpreted as a gesture of power and resistance.
Q24N (Reuters) Three US warships, carrying Aegis guided missiles, will arrive off the Venezuelan coast in the next 36 hours as part of the deployment ordered by President Donald Trump to combat security threats in the region.
This information is based on a news report distributed by Reuters and published by El Tiempo de Bogotá.
The aforementioned deployment of ships in the area had already been confirmed last week, El Tiempo de Bogotá recalled, when the Pentagon announced it would send the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group.
On the other hand, the news agency recalled the report that the Trump administration had announced the deployment of the Marine Expeditionary Unit to the area.
This deployment of ships and other equipment in the area seeks to “counter threats to the national security of the United States from designated narcoterrorist organizations in the region,” an official told the agency.
On Monday, August 18, Reuters reported that the destroyers arriving off the coast of Venezuela will be:
USS Gravely
USS Jason Dunham
USS Sampson
El Tiempo de Bogotá noted that this is the largest US deployment in the region since the invasion of Panama in December 1989.
According to the newspaper, 4,000 marines and infantrymen would be deployed to the region as part of the operation launched by Trump in the southern Caribbean Sea.
The objective, sources indicated, is for US equipment to operate in “international airspace and international waters.”
Why is the United States sending warships to Venezuela?
The deployment of these ships to the Caribbean can be interpreted from several perspectives:
As a message of deterrence and presence: The presence of these powerful destroyers is a clear signal of the United States’ military capability in the region. Their deployment can serve as a deterrent against any potential threat to security and stability in the Caribbean.
For security operations and the fight against drug trafficking: The Caribbean is one of the main routes for drug trafficking to the United States. These destroyers, equipped with sophisticated radars and detection systems, can be used to intercept and track suspicious vessels, collaborating with local forces in the fight against organized crime.
Training and cooperation exercises: The U.S. Navy regularly conducts military exercises with its allies in the region. The deployment of these ships could be part of joint exercises, strengthening cooperation and interoperability with the navies of partner nations.
Response to political instability: The political situation in the region, particularly surrounding Venezuela, is a factor that could influence the U.S. decision. While the Pentagon has not directly linked the deployment to the Venezuelan situation, the presence of these ships nearby could be interpreted as a precautionary measure against any escalation scenario.
Maduro’s Response
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced this Tuesday the mobilization of four million troops belonging to the National Militia—the fifth component of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces—on the territory, in addition to the activation of “all necessary mechanisms” to guarantee the country’s sovereignty.
This was in response to the deployment of three US destroyers, aircraft, and submarines off the Venezuelan coast to combat drug trafficking, a decision by Donald Trump fraught with serious accusations.
Washington claims Maduro is the leader of the Cartel de Los Soles and has doubled the bounty to US$50 million for the capture of the Venezuelan president, reported the Spanish newspaper El País.
“Militias prepared, activated, and armed,” Maduro said in a televised political meeting with leaders of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela outside the Teresa Carreño Theater. “And furthermore, we will continue advancing the plan to activate peasant and worker militias, with worker combatant corps in all the country’s factories and workplaces,” he promised.
Upon making these statements, in front of the entire Chavista national leadership, Maduro asked the audience: “Which of you is a militia member?” More than half the audience raised their hands.
“Rifles and missiles for the peasant force! To defend the territory, sovereignty, and peace of Venezuela,” he said amid applause. “Missiles and rifles for the working class, to defend our homeland!” he added.
Q COSTARICA — Amid the turbulence facing the Costa Rican tourism sector due to a steady decline in international visitor arrivals, July brought some good news, when 242,408 tourist arrivals were recorded.
This represents a 1.3% increase compared to the 239,368 arrivals recorded in the same month of the previous year: July 2024.
According to figures published by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT), air arrivals in July were from almost all of Costa Rica’s main markets: the United States (a slight increase of 0.3%), while Canada grew by 2.9%. Mexico, meanwhile, saw a decrease of 5.1%.
Arrivals from Europe increased from Spain (3.6%), France (8.5%), and the United Kingdom (3.1%). However, they decreased from Germany (-6.6%), which is one of the countries that sends the most tourists from the Old Continent.
2025 results remain in negative territory
However, because the reductions in the first months of 2025 were deeper than this improvement, the July result still does not offset this loss.
In the first months of 2025, 1,731,416 air arrivals to Costa Rica were recorded. Last year, at the same time, 1,771,811 tourists had arrived. This represents a decrease of approximately 40,000 arrivals and a variation of -2.3% between the two years.
Tourism and medical tourism are key contributors to Costa Rica’s economy. Costa Rica’s stunning biodiversity and commitment to eco-tourism attract millions of visitors annually, while the country is gaining recognition for high-quality, affordable healthcare services.
Q COSTARICA — Celso Gamboa, the extraditable, wanted by the United States for drug trafficking, asserted that the entry of shipments of illegal drugs into Costa Rica is easy and attributed it to weaknesses in the current government’s citizen security policy.
According to Gamboa, the transfer has been facilitated by decisions such as moving the National Coast Guard Academy from Quepos to Pococí and the transfer of the Coast Guard Special Operations Group (GOPES) from Drake Bay to Golfito.
The former judge and minister believes that strategic surveillance posts have been removed from the Executive and Judicial branches, which “facilitates the work of drug trafficking groups.”
This, he explained in an interview published Monday by Noticias Repretel.
The conversation took place in the Maximum Security section of La Reforma prison, where he remains in pretrial detention while his legal status is determined at the request of a Texas court.
“The Coast Guard has been bought off by drug traffickers. Didn’t they already remove the Coast Guard patrols here in the south? They haven’t realized what’s going on,” he said.
“Of course, it’s easy now (to smuggle drugs). Of course it’s easy. Of course it’s easy. Given all the shortcomings in public policy on citizen security that this very popular government has demonstrated, it has completely failed in terms of citizen security, and we can’t deny that, and absolutely no one can cover it up,” he emphasized.
In his response, he described current Security Minister Mario Zamora as a person of integrity, but criticized his failure to achieve the objectives set by the Ministry of Planning once he took office.
In October 2024, Zamora argued that the main motivation for the transfer was based on the Law Creating the National Coast Guard Service. He argued that Article 15 of that legislation establishes the creation of the academy, which must be located at the Ministry of Public Security in Murciélago, Guanacaste.
He communicated with Gerald Campos
On another topic addressed in Celso Gamboa’s interview with television news Channel 6, the extraditable also acknowledged that he has communicated with the current Minister of Justice, Gerald Campos.
“He is the only official who has had the courage to say he knows me, and yet he was wrong because he said he hadn’t spoken to me since he was Minister; he said it in the (Legislative) Assembly, and that’s where he was wrong,” the extraditable responded.
Gamboa recalled having been Campos’s professor at the judicial school. He was also his boss when he served as deputy prosecutor in Limón.
“And there was always a friendly relationship,” he told Noticias Repretel.
What he disagreed with was the suggestion that because of that relationship, the Minister of Justice “colluded with me,” he said. He called those criticisms “completely false.”
On July 21, El Observador published an article titled “Video | Minister of Justice assures that he “proactively” verified a comment sent by Celso Gamboa to his cell phone.”
In his statements, Minister Campos specified three occasions on which he had contact with the extraditable prisoner while he served as Minister of Justice, before Gamboa’s capture on June 23 of this year.
In one of them, Gamboa informed him—via WhatsApp—of the disruption to the water service for prisoners.
“He tells me: ‘I have this problem because they tell me they’re cutting off the water.’ ‘Okay,’ great, send me the complaint in writing, but I’m still proactive and verify with my people if this is true, because I’m interested in ensuring that no fundamental rights of those deprived of their liberty are violated,” Campos stated in a video recording.
Despite what Campos said, the Presidency of the Republic, in its weekly “Dato Mata Mentira” program during Wednesday press conferences, asserted that what was reported by this media outlet was false.
“They’re implying that Minister Gerald Campos is in communication with Gamboa. Nothing could be further from the truth,” the Presidential announcement reads. “You heard, my compatriot. Our motto is transparency, and this is absolutely false,” he added.
Thus, both Gamboa’s and the minister’s statements confirm that they maintained communication after May 8, 2022, and, as Campos’s statement suggests, he proactively verified an issue raised by the extraditable.
Two Other Occasions
In the same interview with Repretel News, Minister Campos said, without specifying the date, that Gamboa once contacted him via WhatsApp to make some requests related to inmates he defended in his practice as a lawyer.
On another occasion, he said he contacted him to inform him of the discontent of his mother, former Minister of Justice (2014-2017), Cecilia Sánchez. Campos said that this communication occurred between 2022 and 2023.
“On one occasion, he told me that his mother was very upset because we were saying it was his mother who named the penitentiary centers, Marcus Garvey, and all of them. So his mother wanted to let me know, and I told her: You have my phone number, tell her, give it to her, and have her file a complaint,” Campos stated in an interview with El Observador.
The request was never formalized, and Campos maintained that the change in the names of the penitentiary centers was made during Sánchez’s administration as Justice Minister.
Gamboa also reportedly contacted the minister to inform him that one of his clients was receiving death threats. Before that, Campos acknowledged that he had asked him to file a formal complaint.
“There were very few. Absolutely very few (conversations),” the Justice Minister emphasized.
Gamboa is wanted by the DEA after a grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas returned a federal indictment against him, accusing him of conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine since at least 2017, with the knowledge that it would be illegally imported into the US.
He is accused of collaborating with cartels such as the Gulf Cartel and the Gulf Clan of Colombia, coordinating routes through countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the US. He is currently in prison awaiting approval for his extradition.
Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica has experienced eight episodes of Saharan dust this year. This is a higher figure than the frequency observed in previous years, according to the national weather service, the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN).
Meteorologist Daniel Poleo explained that this does not mean that there has been a higher concentration of dust in general, but rather that the arrivals have been more constant.
Furthermore, so far this year, the expert highlights episodes of Saharan dust with high values.
“These masses are continuous; on at least eight occasions we have had high records; for example, one of them lasted about five days,” the expert explained.
“So in general, this year we have had more frequent arrivals of Saharan dust to Central America. However, this does not mean that there has been a greater amount of dust in general; in other years there was more concentration, but in one or two events,” Poleo explained.
Why more dust?
Poleo explained that this situation is due to a series of factors, such as:
Increased trade winds, especially in the Caribbean Sea.
High-pressure systems in the Atlantic are strong enough to move dust masses from Africa to Central America.
Less Rain and Weaker Waves
Poleo explained that this dynamic has had direct consequences on the climate.
“With this large amount of Saharan dust arriving, one of the consequences was a more intense and much more widespread heat wave, drier conditions compared to normal in some areas, and even an impact on air quality,” he mentioned.
Although the heat wave had some breaks with days of heavy rain, it began on July 7 and for the second half of the month, it remains less rainy due to the presence of dry masses.
He also explained that the Saharan dust phenomenon has an effect on tropical waves.
“The waves tend to arrive with less intensity, and when they do, they generate less precipitation. What favors the dust is the less active Intertropical Convergence Zone,” he explained.
Regarding a new mass observed on Monday in satellite images, Poleo indicated that it will not directly hit Costa Rica.
“That mass will be carried northward by Hurricane Erin; at least until Saturday, we will have little impact from the Saharan dust,” he confirmed.
Coming Weeks
According to the IMN forecast, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is expected to remain close to Costa Rica this week, along with weak trade winds.
“Under these conditions, local factors such as daytime warming and sea breezes, combined with the ITCZ, will favor the formation of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoons this week,” the Meteorological Institute predicts.
While the last week of August will continue with less rain than usual.
“On the other hand, a significant change in rainfall is expected starting in the first week of September, with the entire Pacific and Central Valley expected to experience more rain,” experts predict.
The weekly forecast is:
August 25-31: This last week of August, the Caribbean and Northern Zone will tend to experience less rain than normal for this season. The Pacific and Central Valley will experience afternoon rainfall typical of the season, with weekly rainfall in the Pacific between 30 and 120 mm, the Caribbean and Northern Zone between 20 and 80 mm, and the Central Valley between 10 and 55 mm.
September 1-7: Rainier-than-normal conditions are expected in the Pacific and Central Valley, due to weaker trade winds and increased humidity, particularly due to the proximity of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Meanwhile, the Caribbean and Northern Zone will experience less rainfall than normal.
September 8-14: Wetter-than-normal conditions are expected to continue in the Pacific, due to weak trade winds and increased humidity. The Caribbean and Northern Zone will experience less rainfall than normal, while the rest of the country will experience normal seasonal rainfall (higher probability of cyclones in the Atlantic basin).
September 15-21: This week, the entire Pacific, Central Valley, and Northern Zone will experience more than normal rainfall for this season. On the other hand, the Caribbean will experience less than normal rainfall, while the rest of the country will experience normal rainfall for this season.
The IMN weather forecast for today, Tuesday, August 19, 2025:
The typical pattern for the rainy season will be present today. Local factors such as warm morning temperatures and sea breezes will facilitate cloud development, leading to rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon, which may extend into the early evening.
The regions most likely to experience rain and thunderstorms are the Central Pacific, South Pacific, Nicoya Peninsula, Tempisque Valley and its surroundings, as well as the Central Valley, the North Zone, and the mountainous areas of the Caribbean.
Q COSTARICA — The triple murder shooting that occurred at Howard’s Cantina, in Santa Ana, on the night of Friday, August 15, had three collateral victims, one who died and two who were seriously injured.
Michael Soto, deputy director of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), explained on Monday that two of the victims, alleged narcos and well-known to police, were sitting at the same table, while the third victim, named Gonazalez, was not with them.
Soto added that the two seriously wounded individuals who were also in the line of fire were collateral targets.
He explained that the gunmen fired clumsily, presumably under the influence, disregarded the presence of children and adults in the popular bar on Mother’s Day, to eliminate their target.
Soto added that the preliminary version indicates that an OIJ officer, who was on his own time, decided to intervene is being reviewed. The officer allegedly gave voice commands and shot the suspects.
The deputy director affirmed that his actions were correct.
The Facts
Two hitmen needed only a few seconds to transform the festive atmosphere of a bar in Lindora, Santa Ana, into a scene of terror. They shot five people: three died on the spot, and two more were taken to a hospital in serious condition.
The OIJ explained the dynamics of this shooting, which occurred just after 7:00 pm.
“The hitmen arrived on a motorcycle; one got off, entered the establishment, and approached a table where five people were sitting. He pulled out a firearm and fired repeatedly. He then returned to his accomplice and fled the scene. At that moment, an OIJ agent who was passing by drew his service weapon and intervened.
“An Alajuela Organized Crime investigator intervened and apparently managed to wound one of the suspects during the escape. The OIJ agent escaped unharmed,” Randall Zúñiga, director of the OIJ, explained.
As a result of the shootout, three men were identified: González, 44 (collateral victim); Sanabria, 36, and Garbanzo, 39 (the intended victims), were killed. The latter, known in the criminal community as “Mufasa,” the alleged leader of a gang known as Los Coqueros, based in Pavas.
According to judicial sources, “Mufasa” had recently formed an alliance with another gang, Los Myrie, to eliminate Los Lara, a criminal gang based in the southern neighborhoods of San José, such as Alajuelita, Desamparados, Hatillo, Pavas, and Tirrases, in Curridabat, which recently allegedly increased acts of violence.
Posting a photo on social media while at Howard’s Cantina was allegedly the clue that allowed the gunmen to discover the location of one of their targets. Photo from LaTeja
Sanabria, alias Chula, tried to flee from the gunmen, but they chased him and killed him, leaving him lying on the street.
Two other men were injured in Friday’s shooting: a man named Mata, who was taken to Hospital México with a wound to his right leg, and another man named Pérez, who was taken to Hospital Calderón Guardia with a gunshot wound to the chest. Both injured men are also collateral victims.
A total of thirty-three shell casings and two firearms were recovered at the scene and will be inspected as part of the investigation to clarify the events and identify those responsible.
Q COSTARCIA — Former President Laura Chinchilla Miranda (2010-2014) criticized the Legislative Assembly last week for rejecting a bill that would strengthen the concept of “emerging capital” to seize assets from organized crime more quickly.
In her appearance before the Legisaltive Security and Drug Trafficking Committee on Thursday night, the former president criticized the fact that while almost none of the members of the Legislartive Assembly spoke out against the precautionary embargo imposed by Enjoy Hotels on environmental activist Juan Bautista Alfaro Rojas for criticizing its project in Bahía Papagayo, they did spend several hours attacking the bill, which was ready for a final vote after having passed twice before the Constitutional Court.
“If no one, or very few, shouted because a precautionary measure was imposed against an influencer who spoke out against a company, freezing all its assets, I don’t see why there was such a fuss about organized crime.”
Chinchilla stated that she was “very hurt” to see Congress reject the bill, and recalled that it was during her administration that the first law against organized crime was introduced and enacted, which included the concept of emerging capital, but its implementation has been difficult.
“It hurt me a lot to see that yesterday [Wednesday] the Legislative Assembly once again paralyzed the bill on emerging capital. I was in charge of drafting—sorry, I didn’t draft it, my advisors, along with the then Attorney General and José Manuel Arroyo—the first Organized Crime Law the country had. The concept of emerging capital was already included there. I understand that it hasn’t been implemented, and hence the measures they are requesting.”
The former president asked to reconsider the proposal and, if necessary, add safeguards to achieve the required votes, warning that “if Costa Rica doesn’t get its act together on emerging capital issues, it seems to me that it will be very difficult to defeat organized crime.”
Last Wednesday, due to a lack of a majority, the legislative plenary rejected Bill 22,834, which had been processed since December 2021. This bill sought to add articles to the law against organized crime to allow for early precautionary measures, preventive freezes, and more expedited notifications to legal entities.
The proposal received 21 votes in favor and 17 against. 38 votes in favor are required for approval.
Not obtaining the required votes, the bill was suspended pending a new decision or eventual return to committee.
During her appearance before the legislative committee, Chinchilla outlined her views on the current state of violence, highlighted shortcomings within the police force, and addressed the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Celso Gamboa (who is currently awaiting extradition to the United States, charged with federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, on on international drug trafficking charges), as deputy minister of security and head of the Intelligence and Security Directorate (DIS) during her administration.
Laura Chinchilla warns that Costa Rica is “on the brink of the abyss” and blames the current government for the security crisis.
“Today’s security crisis is real, and the current administration is primarily responsible,” said Chinchilla, who emphasized that Costa Rica is currently the second most violent country in Central America and that organized crime is the primary driver of murder for hire.
An example is the triple murder occurring in the early evening of Friday in Santa Ana, where a gunman opened fire in a well-known ‘cantina’ in the area of Lindora, killing two drug kingpins. The third victim was collateral damage. Two others were injured in the shooting.
RICO’S Q — The new campaign against fraud on the Costa Rica financial system’s platforms is based on the assumption that the customer is responsible. This idea and argument have always been raised, mainly when discussing liability in judicial proceedings.
Financial institutions have always delegated responsibility for fraud to the customer, seeking to have people admit to the financial institution or the courts that they have committed an improper act.
The above approach obscures the responsibility of financial institutions for the security of their platforms for financial transactions. The issue is complex because simply by the person’s acceptance of providing personal data, in a good portion of judicial proceedings, if not all, the financial institutions are exonerated from liability. However, in many cases, the platforms do not have security measures in place to prevent criminals from obtaining this data through deception.
Security lapses also occur in other processes managed on these platforms. On the one hand, the financial institutions tell their clients not to answer phone calls or messages, but they constantly call them offering financial products, a situation that contradicts what is said and what is done.
This issue is especially critical for older adults, as they have greater difficulty adapting to new technologies and, given this reality, prefer to go to the ATM in person. However, financial institutions are now charging a fee for transactions made in person at financial institutions, at the counter, or at ATMs.
Financial institutions should have a little more decency and assume their responsibility in this matter. It is clear that the rule is not to do so because of the domino effect it entails. However, we are talking about adopting all measures to ensure that platforms request different passwords to access clients’ accounts. In effect, we are talking about dynamic passwords, double or even triple passwords, real-time notification of any transaction made in the client’s accounts. In short, ensuring that the obstacles facing cybercriminals are sufficiently robust to prevent fraud.
It’s clear that clients can expect nothing from financial institutions. Nor can they look to the Superintendency of Financial Institutions, which always favors the bodies it should control.
Likewise, they should expect nothing from the Republic’s judges, because their interpretations of the regulations are based on exegesis in the best style of the most rancid legal positivism.
In short, so that clients are crystal clear: absolutely nothing can be expected from the national financial system. Nothing.
This opinion article is translated and adapted from the article by Andi Mirom posted on ElPais.cr. Read the original in Spanish here.
Q COSTARICA — Costa Rica’s president, Rodrigo Chaves, risks being removed from office and barred from holding public office for four years if he violates electoral law, as for the first time in history, the government will be barred from broadcasting or publicizing its achievements on social media.
The disqualification of Patricia Mora, president of the Frente Amplio party, from holding public office for the next four years, announced last week, highlights the seriousness of the crime of political belligerence ahead of the February 2026 presidential elections.
The announcement by the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) – Supreme Electoral Tribunal seems, in fact, a warning, especially at a time when the opposition is repeatedly criticizing President Rodrigo Chaves for using his office for political-electoral purposes.
However, the truth is that political belligerence in Costa Rica is a gray area with a fine line.
It is an electoral crime that essentially prohibits officials from using their positions to favor a political party, or from devoting their work time or actions to participating in discussions of a political-electoral nature.
In the case of some officials, such as the president, ministers, deputy ministers, magistrates, and others, the prohibition is even more forceful, granting only those in the highest positions the right to vote.
In these cases, sanctions are imposed even if the official reveals his or her preferred candidate, and even worse, if he or she attempts to influence voters.
Serious Sanctions
The sanction is severe: disqualification from holding public office for a period ranging from two to four years and immediate dismissal.
In Chaves’ case, it is the only electoral crime that would allow a president’s mandate to be revoked.
This is why, for example, Chaves and his team of ministers stopped using or mentioning the jaguar as their emblem, as an emerging group called Motiva adopted it as their own.
In this sense, Costa Rican law requires absolute neutrality from public officials, especially those at the highest level of the Executive Branch, to guarantee fair and free electoral processes.
“Any association, even visual or symbolic, with a registered political party violates this principle. Therefore, any action by a government authority in which this emblem (the jaguar) is used as an emblem could be considered a message in favor of said group, compromising—in a certain, real, effective, and imminent manner—the meaning of the constitutional restriction,” the TSE warned on this particular issue.
New, Stronger Rules
However, the most important thing for this upcoming electoral process is that the rules regarding belligerence will be much stricter.
On June 20, in a resolution based on a decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the TSE announced that the Chaves administration will be completely prohibited from disseminating messages that praise its attributes or achievements during the electoral process, which begins in October and ends in February, or April if a second round vote is needed.
The prohibition includes the dissemination of images of its leaders during the electoral process and applies not only to conventional advertising but also to social media posts, regardless of whether they are paid for, regarding public works inaugurations, advertisements, the president’s activities, and others.
Until now, the TSE had interpreted that public institutions could indeed disseminate—during the campaign period—public works completed and government achievements on their digital platforms, as long as there was no payment.
However, this interpretation does not correspond to the standard recently established by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In the cases Capriles v. Venezuela and Mantilla v. Nicaragua, it is indicated that the platforms and social media of public institutions must be monitored, since “they could become windows of exposure for the ruling party or the candidacy supported by the incumbent government.”
The TSE’s decision prompted Chaves to explode and directly attack the TSE, accusing it of gagging him.
On this issue, the president submitted a request for clarification, but the judges denied his request, considering the law and the resolution clear.
“They decided to silence the government, my fellow ministers, and this servant, to silence, to muzzle. They are panicking because the people have woken up, because the people are certain in their hearts that the government is doing what the people ordered it to do (…) They insist on silencing me and my colleagues, now ordering us not to wear a pin of the symbol that you, my compatriots, have embraced as the image of a new national spirit,” Chaves claimed forcefully, criticizing the TSE’s statement.
Supporters of Chaves believe the president’s statement that “they will not permit him to govern”, resulting in their support
Meanwhile, Pilar Cisneros, a key figure in ‘rodriguismo’, pointed out that it’s clear that the TSE and the traditional political class are desperate at the prospect of losing power.
Six months before the elections, Chaves, who is not running for office, since the Constitution of Costa Rica prohibits the incumbent president from serving consecutive terms, has the support of 60% of Costa Ricans, while the ruling party candidate Laura Fernández of Pueblo Soberano party has three times the voting intention (24%) of her closest supporters, Fabricio Alvarado of Nueva República and Álvaro Ramos of the PLN, who barely have 7%.
“It’s pure desperation, because they know the jaguar has taken root among the population, because it’s the symbol of a strong, powerful animal that defends its territory, so they want to cut off its head at all costs. ‘Rodriguismo’ won’t even run with that party, so frankly, I don’t see why. But, well, it’s pure desperation on the part of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which, as always, tips the scales against us,” Cisneros stated.
What can the president do during the campaign?
As things stand, the president’s scope of action for the election campaign would be very limited. While it is true that he can hold press conferences and grant interviews to the media, the question remains whether he can broadcast the traditional Wednesday press conferences on social media and state television channel 13.
In these media, the president typically reports on the government’s achievements and the actions it is taking in various areas, while also answering questions from the press on various topics.
Specifically, in these media, Chaves has stated on multiple occasions that the Costa Rican people have woken up and that in February, with a vote, they will carry out a revolution by electing 40 representatives for the Pueblo Soberano party.
Q COSTARICA — The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro and the extraditable Celso Gamboa used Honduras as a bridge for smuggling cocaine from Colombia and Ecuador to the United States, according to the indictment filed by the Eastern District Court of Texas against Gamboa, as evidenced by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who explained the Venezuelan president’s modus operandi during an interview.
In an interview with Fox News, Bondi explained that Honduran airspace is part of a route that begins in Venezuela and continues to Guatemala and Mexico, allowing for the undetected transfer of narcotics.
“There is an air bridge where the Venezuelan regime pays to have undetected access to open airspace to Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, where they can traffic these drugs,” Bondi said.
The U.S. Attorney’s comments are very similar to those stated in the indictment filed by a court in Dallas, United States, regarding the extraditable case against Celso Gamboa.
“Gamboa is responsible for the crimes charged in this case, which include the following: An investigation by U.S. law enforcement authorities identified a Drug Trafficking Organization (hereinafter “DTO”) operating in North, South, and Central America since at least 2020 and responsible for the importation of large quantities of cocaine into the United States. The DTO operates in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and elsewhere, and has ties to several drug cartels, including the Clan del Golfo (hereinafter “CDG”) in Colombia and the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.”
“In fact, the extradition request indicates that a witness told U.S. authorities about a drug shipment sent by Gamboa to Honduras.
“The DTO typically manufactures, processes, and packages cocaine in clandestine laboratories in Colombia. The drug is then transported to and through the aforementioned countries on its way north. Some of the cocaine is illicitly imported into the United States for further distribution. The resulting drug profits are transported from the United States back to and through the aforementioned countries.”
Gamboa legally represented Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in Costa Rica. In March 2019, he filed a criminal complaint on behalf of himself and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela against Venezuelan nationals who participated in the takeover of that country’s embassy in San José.
The U.S. State Department says Maduro is the leader of the so-called Cartel de los Soles. The U.S. attorney general called Maduro a “narco-terrorist” and reiterated her call for his extradition and imprisonment in a U.S. prison. “This is not a legitimate presidency. Maduro is a narco-terrorist and must be brought to the United States to face justice.”
In the complaint filed by Celso Gamboa in 2019, he described Maduro as the victim of “unfounded attacks,” and he was appointed as his legal representative in a letter signed by the Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office.
According to documentation sent from the United States, Gamboa and López allegedly sent shipments from Limón to Honduras, with the final destination being the United States.
The DEA report indicates that in 2024, one of the confidential sources (CS-1) revealed to U.S. authorities that Gamboa had acquired these properties through one of his sons, who was involved with the Limón Black Star soccer team in the Liga de Ascenso and is being investigated for money laundering in case file 21-000078-1322-PE.
“(…) Mr. López Vega had recently purchased property in Sixaola to host cocaine-laden aircraft. According to CS-1, Mr. López Vega remained the “King of Cahuita” and collaborated closely with Celso Manuel Gamboa Sánchez (hereinafter “Gamboa Sánchez”). CS-1 reported that Mr. López Vega was laundering money with Gamboa Sánchez through his professional soccer team in Limón,” the document states.
The purchase of these lands coincides with what was described by a judicial agent involved in the “Caribe Sur” money laundering case, included as a witness in one of the legal proceedings brought against the López family after his release from prison.
“With respect to Edwin López, the office handles a lot of information related to drug sales. The information is handled at the investigative level, just as the information on the line is handled confidentially by the OIJ. Edwin has no known official document; according to information received, he was buying properties and lending money at ridiculously low interest rates,” he stated.
Celso Gamboa is still awaiting an extradition request by the United States. He insists he could refute the accusations and has appealed to the Constitutional Court on several occasions.
RICO’s Q — Presidential candidate for the Avanza party, José Aguilar, got a first-hand experience of the “nightmare” traffic conditions in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) of Costa Rica.
In the middle of rush hour, stuck in a sea of cars that seemed unable to move an inch Aguilar decided to abandon his car and “literally run” to the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y de Arquitectos de Costa Rica (CFIA) – Federated College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica, headquarters in Curridabat so he wouldn’t be late for a meeting.
The amusing anecdote was recorded by his campaign team, who filmed him as he arrived, visibly tired and out of breath from the physical exertion.
“I’m coming from an incredible congestion. 10 km from my house, I spent 1 hour and 40 minutes getting to a meeting with the CFIA board of directors. I had to abandon my car and literally run so I wouldn’t waste any more time. Incredible. This is something we’re definitely going to fix at Avanza. We can’t continue like this. This is a nightmare,” said Aguilar.
The situation not only generated smiles among those present but also brought to light a problem that thousands of Costa Ricans experience every day: endless traffic jams, ruined schedules, and the feeling that time slips through their fingers on the streets.
The Serious Problem
Drivers in Costa Rica lose between 3 and 8 minutes traveling every 100 meters in traffic congestion, according to the 2024 Competitiveness Index.
Traffic congestion not only means lost time and fewer jobs, but also affects physical and mental health, raising stress levels.
Orotina, on the west side of the GAM, is the place where drivers waste the most time in traffic congestion, averaging 7 minutes and 33 seconds for every 100 meters traveled, while Cañas, in Guanacaste, is the place where the least amount of time is reported, at just 2 minutes and 4 seconds.
Santa Ana, Heredia, Alajuela, Santo Domingo, Escazú, San José, Curridabat, Montes de Oca, and Tibás report time losses ranging from 6 to 3 minutes per 100 meters.
The information is based on data from the Waze app, which records the average time to travel a stretch of road under free-flowing traffic conditions and compares it with other times when traffic congestion is reported.
The data is reported monthly and the average is calculated, according to the report from the Council for the Promotion of Competitiveness.
I don’t really need Waze to tell me how crappy the traffic is. I live way out west in Santa Ana and my business is smack dab in the center, so I have to figure out how to get back and forth through all the morning and afternoon traffic mess.
If I head out of here before 5 am, I can get to my shop in under 10 minutes. But between 6 and 9, it’s gonna take me at least half an hour. If I’m leaving to go home after 4 pm, I usually wait until after 8 pm to avoid traffic jams.
Q COSTARICA — On Monday, August 18, IHOP and Applebee’s, in the first dual-brand format in the country, will open their doors in Plaza Tempo, San Rafael de Escazú.
With this dual-brand format, Costa Rica becomes the 23rd country to welcome this concept, which combines two iconic brands under one roof.
According to Roger Páez Cambronero, Director of Operations for Costa Rica, the proposal seeks to offer variety and quality. “We are very happy and excited to return to the country,” he stated.
Páez added that IHOP is coming to Costa Rica for the first time, while Applebee’s returns with its renowned BBQ ribs and sports bar atmosphere. The Applebee’s chain arrived in Costa Rica in 2009 with a location in Santa Ana, but closed its doors in 2020 due to profitability issues.
For this opening, the brands created 70 direct and 50 indirect jobs, including suppliers, marketing, and maintenance services.
Regarding prices, Páez indicated that they will be “very competitive” compared to the local market. “The end consumer will be very happy and grateful with the offer,” he affirmed.
IHOP will offer pancakes starting at ¢4,900, burritos starting at ¢9,500, and milkshakes for ¢3,900. It will also include customized options such as gallo pinto.
Applebee’s will have hamburgers starting at ¢9,800, sandwiches starting at ¢6,900, and BBQ ribs starting at ¢12,900, all with sides included.
The menu will not be identical to that of the United States. The brand has made adjustments to combine international flavors with Latin American and Costa Rican consumer preferences.
“We have a blend of what the United States offers and what Latin America demands to meet the tastes of all Costa Ricans,” Páez explained.
Operating hours are 7:00 am to 10:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday, and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
The investment in this first restaurant was US$2 million. The plan is to open five more locations, strategically located in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) and tourist areas such as Guanacaste, with a total investment of US$10 million.
Q COSTARICA — Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves has a differing perspective on the recent comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump. According to Chaves, Trump was not criticizing security in San José, Costa Rica, but rather emphasizing that the Costa Rican capital is safer than Washington, D.C.
This was stated on Wednesday by Mario Zamora, the Minister of Security, and President Rodrigo Chaves, who expressed surprise at the interpretation some media outlets made of Trump’s statements.
According to Chaves, the U.S. president did not directly attack the Costa Rican capital, but rather used a comparison to justify security measures in Washington, D.C.
“The video was absolutely clear: ‘I’m going to take complete control of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan police force, because the violence and murders here have gotten out of hand. Look, this city is less safe than a lot of cities,’ and that justifies why I’m doing it,” Chaves said.
“That’s the lie, the mean-spirited insinuation of the media, saying that Trump was attacking our security … When in reality what he was saying is: here in Washington, the capital of the most powerful nation in the world, things have gotten out of hand, Chaves added.
Zamora maintained that Trump used the reference to reinforce his decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington and place security forces under federal control, with the goal of “cleaning” the streets of “violent gangs.”
In his speech, President Trump included capital cities such as San José, Costa Rica, Panama City, Brasilia, Bogotá, Mexico City, Lima, and Baghdad, and pointed out “some of the places considered the worst in the world for security.”
Chaves’ statements contrast with Trump’s own words, who directly mentioned San José as one of the most dangerous cities in the world during a White House press conference.
In his remarks, Trump asserted that the United States capital faces crime levels similar to those of cities considered highly dangerous internationally, listing Panama City, Brasilia, San José, Bogotá, Mexico City, and Lima as examples.
“Do you want to live in places like that? I don’t think so. I don’t think so,” Trump told a packed room of reporters.
Trump hailed the day as “Liberation Day in Washington, D.C.” and promised a crackdown on crime in the U.S. capital.
Last year, Costa Rica recorded 880 homicides, according to data from the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ).
The numbers for this year, so far, indicate that it may surpass previous records. In the province of San José (which includes most of the larger urban area of Costa Rica) alone, 182 incidents have been recorded, 41 more than in the same period last year.
