Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, 43, also known by his alias “Shock,” was apprehended at a London airport in December. He had been on the run for months, accused of trafficking cocaine from Limón, Costa Rica, to the United States.
Grijalba had been wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for his involvement in international drug trafficking, according to Randall Zúñiga, director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department (OIJ).
Grijalba, a naturalized Costa Rican citizen, had planned to celebrate the New Year with his family in England before his capture. His wife, Estefania McDonald Rodriguez, shared multiple vacation posts on her now-deleted Instagram account, documenting their European travels.
One post showed the couple under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which helped authorities track Grijalba’s location.
Rodriguez, who frequently posted about her travels, shared images of herself on sunny beaches and in Rome, where she posed by the Trevi Fountain. DEA agents, who had been tracking Grijalba since his departure from Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría Airport, used these posts to pinpoint his whereabouts.
The DEA had obtained an international arrest warrant and preferred to capture Grijalba in Europe, as Costa Rica does not allow the extradition of its citizens. Following his arrest, Grijalba appeared in court and is now fighting extradition to the U.S., where he faces a lengthy prison sentence.
Costa Rica’s Attorney General, Carlo Diaz, praised the DEA’s efforts but noted that his office had no charges against Grijalba.
While some Costa Rican officials criticized the lack of action within the country, Zúñiga defended the DEA’s involvement, emphasizing the agency’s role in combating drug trafficking that harms U.S. citizens.
