Costa Rican ex-Supreme Court judge sent to US in first-ever national extradition

Costa Rica on Friday extradited former top judge and security minister Celso Gamboa to the United States, where he is wanted on charges of international drug trafficking, marking the Central American nation's first-ever extradition of its own nationals.



"Costa Rica is sending a strong message: no one can use our nationality to evade justice," Attorney General Carlo Diaz said in a video message sent to media.



A judicial reform in 2025 eliminated a ban on extraditing nationals in a bid to combat organized crime that has worsened violence in a nation long recognized as one of the safest and most peaceful across Latin America.



Gamboa was removed as Supreme Court justice in 2018 amid corruption allegations, and the case against him has been at the heart of a heated debate about the level of potential collusion between organized crime and the highest political circles.