US sanctions Costa Rica-based drug network, including beauty salon, over cocaine trafficking
The United States has imposed sanctions on a Costa Rica-based drug trafficking network, targeting five individuals and five entities — including a beauty salon — accused of moving large quantities of cocaine from Colombia through Costa Rica to the United States and Europe.
According to the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the network is allegedly led by Costa Rican national Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, known as “Shock,” described as one of the most prolific international drug traffickers operating in the Caribbean. His brother, Jordie Kevin Picado Grijalba, also known as “Noni,” is accused of playing a key role in the operation.
Treasury officials said the brothers were responsible for importing cocaine into Costa Rica, mainly through maritime routes, and storing the drugs in warehouses across the country before onward shipment. Authorities allege the network expanded by partnering with other traffickers and armed groups, including hired hitmen.
The sanctions also extend to Picado Grijalba’s wife and mother-in-law, as well as family-run businesses allegedly used to facilitate drug trafficking and money laundering. One of the named entities is Magic Esthetic Salon, which investigators say was linked to illicit financial activities.
US authorities said the operation relied on coordinated efforts involving Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Costa Rica’s Office of the Attorney General, among others.
Under the sanctions, the designated individuals and companies are barred from accessing any assets or property held in the United States, and US citizens and businesses are prohibited from conducting transactions with them.
Picado Grijalba was arrested in the United Kingdom in December 2024 and is currently being held pending a final decision on extradition to the United States. His brother was arrested in Costa Rica in August 2025 and is also awaiting an extradition ruling, according to the Treasury Department.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures reflect a broader effort to dismantle the entire drug trafficking supply chain. “From shipping facilitators to money launderers, all actors bear responsibility for American addiction and overdose deaths,” he said.
The latest sanctions form part of the Trump administration’s intensified crackdown on drug trafficking in the Caribbean. US forces have carried out multiple operations against suspected smuggling vessels in the region, while intelligence agencies have targeted alleged cartel infrastructure.
In recent years, Washington has also sanctioned other trafficking networks accused of using boats and so-called “narco-subs” to transport cocaine from South America to markets in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.
