Prisoners Cause Riot In Courthouse Jail: Links To Mexican Cartel

Eight men, all with ties to the Mexican Cartel del Golfo drug trafficking organizations set fire to mattresses in their cells in the basement jail of the Tribunales de Goicoechea, the court house located east of downtown San José.


The incidence occurred late afternoon Saturday, forcing the evacuation and transfer of the 30 prisoners, in including the 8 to start the munity, in the jail.

One of the prisoners was Juan Manuel García Hernández “El Güero”, who was arrested earlier this week and believed to be the leader of the drug trafficking ring in Costa Rica and with close ties to the Mexican leader of the cartel, Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez, alias El Coss.



Of the eight, five were Mexicans and three Costa Ricans, all believed to be working in the same gang.

Maricel Rodríguez, spokesperson for the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ), said the incidence was brought under control in minutes and the fire department put out the fire before causing injuries and damage to the building.

A total of 15 mattresses were burned in a fire that is presumed started with a lighter brought into the jail by a prisoner, allegedly hidden in his body.

The OIJ reports that El Güero is now being held in the maximum security block of the La Reforma prison.


Costa Rica, a quiet tourism hub known for its ecology reserves, has increasingly become a transit point for Mexican cartels.

Authorities have reported seizing almost six tons of cocaine this year and US$8 million in cash over the past two years.

Officials also blamed a spike in violence in recent years on drug gangs operating in the country. The government approved a security tax on businesses to raise an extra US$70 million in 2011.

Security officials have said the funding paid off, as Costa Rica now has the lowest homicide rate in Central America, with 10.3 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.