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Security & Strategic Review - August 2025
COSTA RICA: Former security minister charged with drug offences in US
The arrest in June of Costa Rica’s former security minister (2014-2015) and supreme court (CSJ) justice (2016-2018), Celso Gamboa, who in July was then charged with drug-related crimes in the US, has exposed a major drug scandal which could implicate members of President Rodrigo Chaves’ government. With security a major public concern as Costa Rica is facing record homicides, attributed to the growing presence of international drug trafficking organisations (DTOs) in the country [SSR-25-06], the scandal comes as Chaves himself is facing the threat of impeachment over an unrelated corruption case. This is all taking place as Costa Rica is gearing up for general elections in February 2026, in which Chaves is constitutionally barred from seeking a further presidential term, although he is reportedly mulling a bid for the legislature.
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