Costa Rica Arrests Nation’s Most-Wanted Drug Trafficker ‘El Diablo’

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San Jose: After nearly a decade on the run, Costa Rican authorities arrested the country's most wanted criminal, Alejandro Arias Monge, also known as ‘El Diablo’.

A 41-year-old suspected cocaine trafficker was arrested on Friday during a police operation in the Río Frío district of Sarapiquí, northeastern Costa Rica. Authorities said that the operation was carried out in response to intelligence indicating that criminal leaders had met at a rural property.

The arrest prompted an armed conflict between police and members of the criminal group, which lasted over an hour. Several police officers were injured, and authorities detained further alleged members of the criminal network. The operation reportedly resulted in the death of one alleged criminal superior.

Arias Monge is accused of leading a violent international gang and has various arrest warrants in Costa Rica for offences such as drug trafficking, robbery, first-degree murder, and money laundering. The US authorities had offered a $500,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

According to US investigators, the group allegedly smuggled huge quantities of cocaine from Central America to the United States. Costa Rican officials have reportedly linked Arias to violence associated with rival drug trafficking organisations in the country.

The operation represents a significant achievement in Costa Rica's fight against organised crime. Costa Rica, once regarded as one of Central America's safest countries, has seen a significant increase in drug-related violence in recent years, owing in part to confrontations between criminal gangs vying for control of trafficking routes.

The capture of ‘El Diablo’ concludes a years-long manhunt for one of the country's most wanted fugitives.