Ex-Costa Rican Security Minister Indicted in U.S. Drug Conspiracy

Celso Gamboa Sanchez, a former Costa Rican security minister and judge, has been indicted in the U.S. for conspiracy to import cocaine. Authorities detained him in Costa Rica following a U.S. extradition request, as announced by the U.S. Justice Department.

The indictment, filed by a Texas grand jury, accuses Sanchez of collaborating with international drug traffickers to manufacture and distribute large amounts of cocaine, transported via Costa Rica to the United States. Arrested alongside Sanchez was his associate, Edwin Lopez Vega.

Sanchez, who served as Costa Rica's public security minister in 2014 and a judge from 2016 to 2018, continues to be jailed in Costa Rica as he awaits extradition.

(With inputs from agencies.)