Costa Rica extradites two alleged drug traffickers to the US

By Alvaro Murillo

SAN JOSE, ‌Aug 13 (Reuters) - ​Costa ​Rica has extradited two alleged drug traffickers to the U.S. to face charges, Costa Rica's attorney ‌general said on Thursday, identifying the suspects as ⁠Gilbert Bell Fernandez, known as Macho Coca, and Gabriel Lozano, nicknamed ‌Compadre.

They are due to face ‌trial in U.S. federal court in New York.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on Bell, 62, in 2023 for what ​it said was his "significant role in the recent transformation of Costa Rica into a major narcotics transit ⁠hub." He had been jailed in San Jose since 2024 on charges of ​stealing state-owned fuel.

Authorities accuse Lozano, a Colombian who obtained Costa Rican citizenship, of using the country ​as a key transit point for ‌cocaine moving from South American producers to markets farther north.

Costa Rica Attorney General Carlo Diaz ⁠said in a video statement that the extraditions were the result of cooperation with U.S. and international authorities "in which we ⁠share common objectives in the fight against crime, especially international drug trafficking."

Confronted ​with a surge in violence tied to the spread of drug trafficking groups, Costa Rica in 2025 approved the extradition of its ‌citizens on drug trafficking or terrorism charges.

The first Costa Ricans were extradited under the measure ‌in March. Authorities have said about 20 Costa Rican ⁠suspects are currently facing ‌extradition proceedings, along with ​a similar number of foreign nationals.

(Reporting by Alvaro Murillo; Writing by Fabiola Arámburo; Editing by Cynthia ‌Osterman)

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