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One of the world’s most elusive drug kingpins, Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, known as Shock, was reportedly arrested at a London airport after his wife inadvertently exposed his location through social media posts.
Grijalba, a dual citizen of the US and Costa Rica, was on the run for his alleged role in a cocaine trafficking ring when officials used his wife’s vacation pictures to pinpoint his whereabouts.
Grijalba, who rarely traveled with his wife, Estefania McDonald Rodriguez, spared no expense in flying her and their family to Europe, reportedly spending $20,000 on tickets for the extravagant holiday.
However, Rodriguez’s Instagram posts, which documented their lavish getaway, would ultimately lead to his capture. In one of her now-deleted photos, Rodriguez was seen lounging on a beach, and in another, she posed in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
But it was a seemingly innocent picture taken in Paris that led the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) straight to Grijalba. With their eyes already trained on the notorious drug lord, the
DEA acted swiftly once they knew where he was.
Grijalba, who was wanted for allegedly shipping cocaine from Costa Rica’s Limon to the US, had been under surveillance for years.
The DEA had been tracking him from Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria Airport, but it was his wife’s posts that sealed his fate. After confirming his whereabouts in London, the DEA wasted no time in executing an international warrant and arresting Grijalba at a London airport.
While Costa Rican authorities had long known about Grijalba’s criminal ties, they had been unable to officially charge him due to the country’s strict laws prohibiting the extradition of its citizens.
The DEA, however, successfully bypassed this limitation by executing the arrest on foreign soil.
The arrest has sparked outrage in Costa Rica, where officials are questioning why Grijalba had never been formally charged despite being linked to drug trafficking operations in Limon. Costa
Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles and Security Minister Mario Zamora both expressed shock that Grijalba was apprehended by the DEA rather than local authorities.
It’s outrageous that the Costa Rican police, Judiciary, and Attorney General’s Office, all of whom knew Shock’s criminal activities, never pursued charges,” President Chaves stated.
“While the ‘gringos’ swoop in and take him out of our country, we’re left asking what went wrong.”
In response, Costa Rica’s OIJ director pointed out that the DEA’s ability to track Grijalba stemmed from their access to more sophisticated technology, including tools for hacking phones and social media accounts.
This technological advantage was cited as a key factor in the success of the operation. (iharare.co.)
Online Reporter