US seeks extradition of drug suspects from Costa Rica and Guatemala

U.S. authorities have asked Costa Rica to extradite four men – a Mexican national and three Costa Ricans – alleged members of the Sinaloa Cartel. The suspects were arrested near Liberia airport in December 2025 with 400 kg of cocaine, equipment for clandestine airstrips, firearms and cash, and are being held pending extradition proceedings.

In Guatemala, police captured 29 individuals in a crackdown on transnational narcotics trafficking, including a suspect known as “Cala, Calamardo or Tornado Nuevo,” who faces charges for conspiring to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine destined for the United States. The detainees are being prepared for extradition, continuing Guatemala’s recent pattern of handing over drug‑related suspects to foreign authorities.