--- title: "Costa Rica to Target 'Invisible Traffickers' with DEA" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/costa-rica-to-target-invisible-traffickers-with-dea" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/costa-rica-to-target-invisible-traffickers-with-dea" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/costa-rica-to-target-invisible-traffickers-with-dea.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/costa-rica-to-target-invisible-traffickers-with-dea" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Latin America" published: "2026-10-24T02:25:28.946Z" source_reported: "2026-10-24T01:54:00.000Z" updated: "2026-10-24T02:25:28.946Z" trust_score: 64 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-24T01:58:56.688Z" --- # Costa Rica to Target 'Invisible Traffickers' with DEA *Attorney General Carlo Diaz announced expanded cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 64 of 100, higher is better. Trust 64: named source (Attorney General), specific figures with origins, date/location, but only one independent outlet. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: explains significance, quotes AG, provides specific data, clear structure, and notes next steps. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15: language is measured; no sensationalism or clickbait beyond factual headline. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Costa Rica will expand cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration to target "invisible drug traffickers," identified as business executives and politicians with alleged drug trade links. - Attorney General Carlo Diaz was re-elected by the Costa Rican judiciary for a four-year term. - Six Costa Ricans have been extradited to the US, with 25 further extradition proceedings in progress. - Costa Rica's homicide rate reached a peak of 17.2 per 100,000 people in 2023, with 906 killings. Costa Rica is to enhance its collaboration with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to pursue what Attorney General Carlo Diaz described as "invisible drug traffickers." These individuals are characterised as business executives and politicians who allegedly conceal their connections to the drug trade behind public-facing careers. Diaz, who was recently re-elected by the Costa Rican judiciary for another four-year term, stated that six Costa Ricans have already been extradited to the United States, with an additional 25 extradition proceedings currently underway. The new phase of cooperation with the DEA will focus on these "invisible drug traffickers," following an initial phase that targeted members of criminal organisations. Diaz highlighted the significance of Costa Rica's ability to extradite its own nationals to the US, calling it a crucial development in combating transnational crime. The country's government has previously worked with the DEA, leading to the arrest of numerous drug traffickers who authorities believe are responsible for a recent increase in homicides. Costa Rica's homicide rate reached a peak of 17.2 per 100,000 people in 2023, totalling 906 killings. The government has also constructed a new 5,100-capacity prison, modelled on security measures implemented in El Salvador. ## Disagreement on prison impact Attorney General Carlo Diaz expressed reservations about the effectiveness of the new 5,100-capacity prison in curbing organised crime, suggesting that Costa Rica's criminal landscape differs from El Salvador's, where the model was adopted. The Star reported that Diaz questioned the approach, stating the prison could ease overcrowding but would not inherently reduce organised crime. In contrast, the digests from Investing.com, WTVB, wmbdradio.com, SRN News, Reuters, and The Straits Times do not include Diaz's specific comments on the prison's limitations or his comparison to El Salvador. ## What the coverage left out None of the centre-rated digests mention Attorney General Carlo Diaz's specific comments on the limitations of the new 5,100-capacity prison or his comparison of Costa Rica's criminal landscape to El Salvador's. The right-rated digests also omit these specific details regarding the prison. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 43% (3) - Right: 57% (4) 0 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-24T01:58:56.688Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 10 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-24T04:45:09.689Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports led with the announcement of expanded cooperation between Costa Rica and the US Drug Enforcement Administration to target "invisible drug traffickers," including business executives and politicians. These reports carried the verified claims that Attorney General Carlo Diaz was re-elected for a four-year term, that six Costa Ricans have been extradited to the US with 25 further proceedings ongoing, and that the new joint operations will target individuals with alleged drug-trade links. The centre-rated digests also included the detail that Costa Rica's homicide rate peaked at 17.2 per 100,000 people in 2023, amounting to 906 killings. ### Right - The right-rated reports led with Attorney General Carlo Diaz's statement that new joint operations with the DEA would target politicians and businessmen. These reports included the verified claims that Diaz was re-elected for a four-year term, that six Costa Ricans have been extradited to the US and 25 more extradition proceedings are underway, and that the cooperation will target "invisible drug traffickers" with alleged drug-trade links. The Star, which provided a full report, also detailed Diaz's clashes with President Fernandez's government, his rejection of US forces operating on Costa Rican territory, and his comments on the new 5,100-capacity prison. The right-rated digests also mentioned the peak homicide rate of 17.2 per 100,000 people in 2023, with 906 killings. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 4 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Investing.com](https://investing.com/news/world-news/costa-rica-ag-says-new-joint-dea-ops-will-target-politicians-businessmen-4970361) — Costa Rica AG says new joint DEA ops will target politicians, businessmen - [The Star Kuala Lumpur](https://thestar.com.my/news/world/2026/10/24/costa-rica-ag-says-new-joint-dea-ops-will-target-politicians-businessmen) — Costa Rica AG says new joint DEA ops will target politicians, businessmen - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/world/costa-rica-ag-says-new-joint-dea-ops-will-target-politicians-businessmen) — Costa Rica AG says new joint DEA ops will target politicians, businessmen - [WTVB](https://wtvbam.com/2026/10/23/costa-rica-ag-says-new-joint-dea-ops-will-target-politicians-businessmen) — Costa Rica AG says new joint DEA ops will target politicians, businessmen - [wmbdradio.com](https://wmbdradio.com/2026/10/23/costa-rica-ag-says-new-joint-dea-ops-will-target-politicians-businessmen) — Costa Rica AG says new joint DEA ops will target politicians, businessmen - [SRN News](https://srnnews.com/costa-rica-ag-says-new-joint-dea-ops-will-target-politicians-businessmen) — Costa Rica AG says new joint DEA ops will target politicians, businessmen - [Reuters](https://reuters.com/world/americas/costa-rica-ag-says-new-joint-dea-ops-will-target-politicians-businessmen-2026-10-23) — Costa Rica AG says new joint DEA ops will target politicians, businessmen ## Questions **What is Costa Rica expanding its cooperation with the US on?** Costa Rica is expanding its cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to target "invisible drug traffickers." These are described as business executives and politicians allegedly hiding links to the drug trade behind respectable public profiles. **Who is leading the new anti-trafficking efforts in Costa Rica?** Attorney General Carlo Diaz is leading these efforts. He was recently re-elected by the Costa Rican judiciary for a four-year term and is spearheading the deepened cooperation with the DEA. **How many people are being extradited from Costa Rica to the US?** Six Costa Ricans have already been extradited to the United States. Additionally, there are 25 further extradition proceedings currently underway, indicating ongoing cooperation in law enforcement. **What was Costa Rica's homicide rate in 2023?** Costa Rica's homicide rate peaked in 2023, reaching 17.2 per 100,000 people. This resulted in a total of 906 killings throughout the year. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/costa-rica-to-target-invisible-traffickers-with-dea. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Costa Rica to Target 'Invisible Traffickers' with DEA", https://mediabias.news/conflict/costa-rica-to-target-invisible-traffickers-with-dea