According to authorities, Costa Rica sent one of its biggest drug smugglers and a gang member to the US to appear before a federal court.
Costa Rican businessman Gilbert Bell Fernández, known as “Macho Coca,” and Colombian Gabriel Lozano Bonilla, known as “Compadre,” were flown from Juan Santa María International Airport, northwest of San José, to New York.
Bell Fernández, 63, is considered one of Costa Rica's biggest drug traffickers by the US Treasury Department, which states that he is “known not only for the volume of drugs he traffics, but also for the violence with which he operates.”
Bell Fernández was placed on the sanctions list in 2023.
“The DEA links them to the Gulf Clan,” Costa Rican Attorney General Carlo Díaz told the press, referring to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Both men allegedly participated in trafficking cocaine to the United States for the Colombian cartel, which Washington has classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
"I thank the United States for taking me out of this country. They are saving my life," said Bell Fernández, who claimed to have been mistreated in prison.
Lozano Bonilla, a naturalized Costa Rican, is also allegedly linked to shipments of liquid cocaine to Europe and Asia.
According to local media, both Bell Fernández and Lozano Bonilla were taken to the airport with bulletproof vests and helmets, escorted by a strong security detail.
Costa Rican President Laura Fernández, a key ally of President Trump, promised a tough crackdown on drug trafficking during her inauguration in May, saying her hand will not tremble in taking on organized crime.
