A drug cartel leader was arrested in the UK – after his wife had shared luxury holiday snapshots online in the view of detectives.
Luis Manuel Picado Grijalbo was caught on December 29 on December 29 by National Crime Office -Officers near London Bridge on an international order, wanted Due to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on accusation of exporting cocaine from Costa Rica.
The country is startled by widespread violence between warring cartels – but rarely allows the extradition of criminals. Detectives had to wait until the 43-year-old travel abroad.
In a turn of happiness, his glamorous wife Estefania McDonald Rodriguez, 32, was photos of her travels to her 21,000 followers on Instagram.
Little she realized that American agents followed every post, waiting for an order to be issued so that they could jump. The Instagram account has since been removed.
On Facebook she posted images of herself on the Trevi fountains of Rome, with subtitles of the snaps: “A journey is lived 3 times: if we dream it when we live when we remember it.”
But a trip to London made at the end of December to sound in the new year, there is one that she would probably prefer.
Estefania McDonald Rodriguez and her husband Luis Manuel Picado Grijalbo – in a photo from Paris who helped Grijalbo on alleged charges
Rodriguez, 32, had glamorous photos of her various vacations on social media plastered – left a trail for authorities to follow
Grijalba, nicknamed 'Shock', was sought in the US on suspicion of international human trafficking cocaine
Grijalba, nicknamed 'shock', normally traveled apart from his wife – but the couple was in the capital of a journey of £ 16,000 that brought him from Juan Santamaría Airport from Costa Rica to Paris and to London.
DEA agents looked at their every movement online thanks to the messages from Mrs. Rodriguez -and with an arrest warrant they asked NCA officers to help. He was fascinated at an airport, according to the Costa Rican authorities.
Randall Zúñiga, director of the judicial investigation agency of Costa Rica (OIJ) – the FBI of the country – confirmed the arrest on his X account.
“Nicaraguan naturalized Costa Rican Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, aka” Shock “, was arrested at London Airport in a joint effort with the DEA,” he wrote.
“His extradition to the US is attempted to be accused of international drug trafficking from Limón.”
Nicaraguan inhabitant Grijalba, who also owns Costa Rican nationality, had also not appeared in court due to a massive fatal shooting in his property in Matama, the province of Límon in March 2022.
Grijalba was one of the goals of the attack on his property where 7 people died, including Danny Hernandez Fernández, known as the 'Ratón'.
He threw himself behind a cherry tree behind a hut on his country to escape a hail of bullets, according to Central American media.
Prosecutors sent him three quotes – but they could not maintain and eventually ruled him as a witness.
American DEA agents could not strike in Costa Rica because of the constitutionally protected extradition rules – but had been on his track for several years.
Mrs. Rodriguez's glamorous snaps names of sights from all over the world – viewed by agents waiting to jump on her husband
Mrs. Rodriguez's Instagram – told about traveling around the world – from Japan to Europe
Randall Zúñiga, director of the judicial investigation agency of Costa Rica (OIJ) – the FBI of the country – confirmed the arrest on X, which stated that Grijalba was drilled at an airport at an airport
Mrs. Rodriguez is supposed to live in the province of Límon – an area where Grijalba is said to have exploited an empire for drug trafficking
The organized crime and corruption reporting project says that the country's constitution protects its citizens against prosecution for crimes committed outside the Costa Rican territory as long as they return home safely.
Costa Rican attorney -general Carlo Díaz told The Sun, who for the first time reported the story: 'This is an important catch for us, because we could not have attributed a criminal act to him in our country.
“But I repeat, he is in some studies linked to drug trafficking in Limón.
“The DEA is not only satisfied with this person who is a criminal punishment, but they also try to take away all his assets and we will work with them.”
The province of Límon, where Grijalba was active, has seen a huge increase in gang-related violence in recent years. The most important city of Límon has a port that is considered a hotspot for drug trafficking.
In 2023, 214 murders were registered in the city – more than in the capital San José, despite being a third of the size, according to research by Insight Crime.
The Drug Lord itself reportedly survived two murder attempts.
A spokesperson for NCA said: 'Luis Picado Grijalba, 43, was arrested on December 29 in the London Bridge area and taken in custody.
“The extradition procedures are underway.”
The KingPin is expected to return to the court next month to dispute extradition procedures.
