The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on five Costa Rican nationals and five entities based in Costa Rica for their roles in narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The network, led by Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, is accused of transporting large quantities of cocaine from Colombia through Costa Rica to the United States and Europe.
“ The Trump Administration will not allow narcotraffickers to poison Americans,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “The entire drug trafficking supply chain—from shipping facilitators to money launderers—bears responsibility for American addictions and deaths. We will continue to hold them accountable for the devastation they cause in our homeland.”
This action follows a coordinated investigation led by Homeland Security Task Forces, involving agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Costa Rica’s Office of the Attorney General, Drug Control Police, Office of Judicial Investigation, Public Force (Fuerza Pública), and Financial Intelligence Unit. OFAC collaborated closely with these groups to target illicit drug networks under Executive Order 14059.
Costa Rica’s Moín seaport has become an important hub for cocaine shipments since opening in 2019. Criminal organizations have fought over control of this port, contributing to increased violence linked to competition among drug traffickers.
Previous OFAC actions include designating Gilbert Hernan de Los Angeles Bell Fernandez in November 2023 and Celso Manuel Gamboa and Edwin Danney Lopez Vega in August 2025 for their involvement in major cocaine movements through Costa Rica. Today’s designations target associates within these networks as well as Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba (“Shock”) and his brother Jordie Kevin Picado Grijalba (“Noni”).
Shock and Noni are described as leading figures who imported cocaine into Costa Rica via maritime routes, stored it at warehouses nationwide, and expanded operations through alliances with other traffickers such as Bell and Lopez. They also worked with armed groups including one led by Tonny Alexander Pena Russell, who was arrested in 2024 on multiple murder charges related to enforcement within the trafficking organization.
In December 2024, Shock was arrested in the United Kingdom pending extradition proceedings to the United States; Noni was detained by Costa Rican authorities in August 2025 under similar circumstances. In November 2025, police operations resulted in further arrests—30 individuals taken into custody—and seizures totaling 14 tons of drugs along with luxury assets.
Today’s designations under E.O. 14059 apply not only to Shock and Noni but also Pena Russell for providing support services to their operation.
Family members were also involved: Shock’s wife Estefania McDonald Rodriguez and mother-in-law Anita McDonald Rodriguez allegedly used businesses—including Asociación de Lideres Limonenses del Sector Pesquero (ASOLIPES), several corporations, a beauty salon (Magic Esthetic Salon SA), and Inversiones Laurita L&L SA—to launder proceeds from drug sales. Some companies have been suspended by local authorities due to links with criminal activity.
These businesses have been designated for being owned or controlled by Estefania or Anita McDonald Rodriguez or both.
As a result of these sanctions, all property belonging to those designated that falls within U.S. jurisdiction is blocked; U.S. persons are generally prohibited from transactions involving those listed unless specifically authorized by OFAC regulations or licenses. Entities majority-owned by sanctioned individuals are similarly restricted.
Violating these sanctions can lead to civil or criminal penalties for both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals engaging with blocked parties or helping others evade restrictions set forth under U.S law regarding narcotics-related activities.
OFAC maintains that its sanctioning process aims ultimately at changing behavior rather than punishment alone; information about removal procedures from relevant lists is available through official guidance on filing petitions with OFAC.
