Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, also known as "Shock," a dual US-Costa Rica citizen and a wanted drug kingpin, was apprehended at a London airport in December. 

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The arrest came after US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents tracked his wife’s social media activity during their luxurious European vacation. Grijalba is accused of shipping cocaine from Limon, Costa Rica, to the US, according to the New York Post.  

Luxury vacation leads to capture  

Grijalba travelled to London to celebrate New Year with his wife, Estefania McDonald Rodriguez. Despite his usual practice of travelling solo, he reportedly spent $20,000 (Rs 12.27 lakh) to bring his wife and family to Europe. Rodriguez actively posted holiday photos on her now-deleted Instagram account, including snapshots from beaches, the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

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The DEA, monitoring Grijalba since his departure from Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria Airport, zeroed in on him after Rodriguez shared a photo of the couple in Paris. This evidence helped the agency secure an international arrest warrant. 

Grijalba’s arrest in Europe marked a significant breakthrough for the DEA, which had been pursuing him for years. The operation was conducted outside Costa Rica, as the country prohibits the extradition of its citizens. Grijalba later met his wife in Paris and was planning to continue the celebrations in England when he was captured.  

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No active charges in Costa Rica  

Although the DEA is likely to press serious charges against Grijalba, Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department (OIJ) confirmed no active cases against him in the country. Attorney General Carlo Diaz acknowledged that Grijalba had been linked to drug trafficking investigations in Limon but no criminal acts were attributed to him.