The presence of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Costa Rica has evolved beyond mere graffiti on a highway. In less than two years, cocaine seizures, operations at the port of Moín, and sanctions have documented the Mexican cartel’s connections to networks using the country as a corridor to move tons of drugs to Europe and the United States.
The August 16, 2026, seizure in La Guácima de Alajuela—involving nearly a ton of cocaine linked to the “four-letter cartel”—marks the latest episode in this series of investigations.
The 2025 Global Organized Crime Index indicates that the number of individuals linked to criminal organizations in Costa Rica rose from 35 to 340 over the last decade, a figure that includes those connected to the CJNG.
Compounding this situation, 2023 saw 907 homicides—the highest figure in the country’s history—while in 2024, 70% of homicides were classified as settling of scores or acts of revenge, a category closely linked to drug trafficking and organized crime.
