Editor's Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that attorneys for Perry’s Steakhouse countersued in the Austin dispute. Perry's Restaurants was not a plaintiff in the countersuit; it was filed by Vantage Point Global. The article has been updated to reflect this correction.
Costa Rica’s environmental prosecutor this month raided Hybrida Farms, a medical cannabis operation tied to a U.S. venture now at the center of a $100 million court fight in Austin, seizing computers, cell phones and documents as part of a criminal probe. The raid has injected an international wrinkle into a Travis County lawsuit that says investors and executives clashed over who really owned and controlled the business. Two men were listed by Costa Rican prosecutors as defendants but were not detained, officials said.
The Environmental Prosecutor’s Office carried out the search last Tuesday to gather electronic evidence and conduct topographic studies at the finca known locally as La Mara, according to Semanario Universidad. Prosecutors said the action followed complaints that construction and earth‑moving work had altered the Humedal de Coris and nearby water bodies, and they opened the investigation under case number 24‑000030‑0611‑PE. Authorities confirmed that phones and computers were seized during the visit.
The farm sits in Valle de Coris in Cartago, next to the Cerros de la Carpintera protected zone, a landscape that Costa Rican agencies have identified as important for aquifer recharge and migratory bird habitat. Setena granted environmental viability for the project in 2024, but local officials and conservation groups say stop orders and complaints followed after visible earthworks appeared at the site. The Hybrida Farms' website describes the operation as a licensed, sustainability‑focused medical cannabis producer.
The Costa Rica enforcement action drew attention in Texas because the farm is tied to a dispute pending in Austin between former consultant Craig Aumann and U.S. company Vantage Point Global. As reported by the Austin American‑Statesman, Aumann’s complaint says he was pushed out as CEO and cut off from ownership in a venture he estimated at roughly $100 million. Attorneys for Vantage Point Global have countersued and denied his claims. The Texas case returned to court this week for a logistical hearing.
Vantage Point Global and Hybrida have pushed back, characterizing the visit as a regulatory inspection focused on stewardship and scientific review. In comments reported by ExpressNews, Vantage Point president David "Cree" Crawford said the company "has been preparing certified independent scientific analysis" to address the concerns and that it expects the evidence to clear it. The firm’s lawyers also told U.S. courts that the Costa Rica operation remains functional while investigations proceed.
Legal implications
Costa Rican prosecutors described the probe as an inquiry into alleged filling and drainage of the Coris wetland, invasion of protected spring areas and disobedience of administrative stop orders, according to Semanario Universidad. If formal charges are filed, they could carry civil and criminal penalties under Costa Rica’s environmental laws, and the seized electronic records may become key evidence. The cross‑border mix of environmental enforcement in Costa Rica and civil litigation in the United States raises complicated questions about jurisdiction and how investors might trace assets.
What’s next
Costa Rica’s Environmental Prosecutor has said technical experts will complete topographic and forensic work before deciding whether to file charges, and that the probe remains at a "confidential stage," according to ExpressNews. In Austin, lawyers are continuing to sort motions over ownership and over who remains a defendant as the logistical hearing moves ahead, while investors watch to see whether environmental enforcement will slow or shut down an export‑oriented medical cannabis operation. For now, both sides say they are gathering evidence and gearing up for more legal battles on two continents.
