Two Costa Rican nationals have been flown into East Texas to face federal drug charges, the latest turn in a long-running U.S. cocaine investigation that finally pushed through months of courtroom wrangling in San José. Both men are set to make their first appearances before a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas later this week.
The defendants are identified as Celso Manuel Gamboa Sánchez, 49, a former Costa Rican minister of public security and one-time magistrate, and Edwin Danney López‑Vega, 49, an accused trafficker locally known as "Pecho de Rata." Authorities say the pair were extradited from Costa Rica on March 20 and are scheduled to appear in East Texas courtrooms on March 24, according to News4SanAntonio.
Federal indictments in the Eastern District of Texas accuse Gamboa of conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine and allege that López‑Vega took part in a separate cocaine-distribution conspiracy. Prosecutors contend the network moved large shipments through Colombia and Costa Rica on their way to the United States and Europe, and say the investigation drew in both the DEA and the FBI, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
Costa Rican police arrested both men on June 23, 2025. Since then, domestic courts in San José have been tied up with appeals and procedural challenges that finally wrapped earlier this month, clearing the way for extradition. Court filings and local reporting describe how judges insisted on formal assurances from U.S. authorities, including limits on maximum penalties and credit for time already served, before agreeing to hand the men over, according to El País.
How Costa Rica's Law Changed
Until a constitutional reform in May 2025, Costa Rica generally barred extraditing its own citizens on drug-trafficking charges, a protection that had long frustrated foreign prosecutors. The change opened a legal door that U.S. authorities quickly walked through. Agencies had already flagged both men for sanctions and criminal investigation last year as part of broader efforts against transnational trafficking groups, and the reform effectively removed a major procedural roadblock. The U.S. Department of the Treasury detailed related sanctions and highlighted the role of international cooperation in the case.
What They Face In U.S. Courts
Prosecutors in the Eastern District of Texas say the indictments carry potential penalties of up to life in prison, and that the prosecutions will be handled by assistant U.S. attorneys in that district. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, the cases were built with help from the DEA’s Dallas Field Division, the DEA San José Country Office and the FBI, while the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Costa Rican authorities coordinated the extradition.
Next up is standard federal process: both men will be advised of the charges, enter pleas and receive a pretrial schedule, with detention or bond rulings typically decided shortly after their initial appearances. Federal officials and local coverage emphasize that the indictments are only allegations at this stage and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court, according to News4SanAntonio.
