Luis Grijalba, 43, was wanted in the US on charges of exporting cocaine from Costa Rica and had arrived in London to celebrate the New Year with wife Estefania McDonald Rodriguez
A drug cartel kingpin who survived two assassination attempts has been arrested in the UK after his blundering wife gave away key details in photos of her £16,000 holiday.
Luis Grijalba, 43, was wanted in the US on charges of exporting cocaine from Costa Rica and had arrived in London to celebrate the New Year with wife Estefania McDonald Rodriguez.
However, American Drug Enforcement Administration agents had been tracking her social media posts about visits to the UK and Paris. In one post, Grijalba and his wife, seen in a cream fur-collared coat, were pictured in front of the Eiffel Tower. The couple then travelled to the UK where Grijalba was spotted near London Bridge. National Crime Agency officers were able to swoop in and arrest the drug baron.
Randall Zúñiga, from Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency, said Grijalba often travelled abroad separately from his wife but appeared to be too relaxed this time.
He said: “His wife travelled out of the country a lot and posted about it on social media. They went to Colombia and Europe a lot. They had recorded several trips. She uploaded a lot of photos. The DEA had been following Grijalba for several months and were waiting for the international arrest warrant to be ready. They informed us of the arrest, but it was their job. There was no open case in Costa Rica for which he could be arrested.”
Some of the social media posts from Estefania showed her outside luxury hotels, iconic landmarks, and posing with parrots on a beach. Grijalba, who is contesting extradition to the US, saw his case adjourned until next month. A NCA spokesman said: “Luis Picado Grijalba, 43, was arrested in the London Bridge area on December 29 and remanded into custody. Extradition proceedings are ongoing.” He has already faced two assassination attempts in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica drug murders have increased by a staggering 60 per cent in a decade. Costa Rican Attorney General Carlo Díaz said: “This is an important capture for us, because we had not yet been able to attribute any criminal act to him in our country. But I reiterate, he has been linked in some investigations to drug trafficking in Limón.
“The DEA is not only satisfied with this person serving a criminal sentence, but they also seek to take away all his assets and we are going to collaborate with them.”