Q COSTARICA — After being extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges, President Rodrigo Chaves hopes that the former politician, lawyer, former Minister of Security, former magistrate of the Third Chamber of the Judicial Branch, and alleged drug trafficker, extradited to the United States, will expose other politicians, officials, and former officials linked to organized crime.
Chaves even remarked that Gamboa is a better singer than tenor Luciano Pavarotti.
“Thank God we managed Celso and ‘Pecho de Rata’ (referring to Edwin López, the second Costa Rican to be extradited) out of our country. They say not even Pavarotti sings as beautifully as that man (Celso) will… And what about the minister at the time and the head of the coast guard? Costa Ricans should be concerned, because if an international drug trafficker emerged from the Third Chamber, starting to traffic drugs while serving as a magistrate on the highest criminal court in our country, then what else could be lurking there?” the president stated during his tour of Guanacaste.
The president’s remarks come in the context of the recent extradition of Gamboa and Edwin López to the United States, wanted on charges related to international drug trafficking.
Gamboa, once seen by political insiders as a potential presidential candidate, said in a recent interview that he plans to disclose corruption and political interference to U.S. authorities.
US authorities accuse Gamboa of being one of Costa Rica’s main drug traffickers and of facilitating the shipment of cocaine worth tens of millions of dollars from Colombia to the US via Costa Rica.
Last Friday marked the first extradition of Costa Rican citizens at the request of the United States government, a significant milestone in the fight against international drug trafficking.
“For years, we have been able to identify how Costa Rican and naturalized citizens linked to these criminal activities used our nationality as a means to evade international justice,” stated Costa Rica’s Attorney General Carlo Díaz, who added that Costa Rica is sending “a clear and forceful message” that “no one can use our nationality as a shield to evade justice.”
In May 2025, the Costa Rican Legislature approved a constitutional reform to allow the extradition of nationals, only for drug trafficking and terrorism offenses.