Full Breakdown
Costa Rica Opens Mega-Prison Modeled on El Salvador’s CECOT
By Drooid · · How we work
Inauguration of the High-Containment Center Against Organized Crime (CACCO)
On October 15, 2026, President Laura Fernández Delgado inaugurated the High-Containment Center for Organized Crime (CACCO) in Alajuela, about 25 km from San José. The facility holds up to 5,100 inmates—roughly 20 % of Costa Rica’s prison population—and was built at a cost of $35 million. The design was supplied by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who donated blueprints and construction methods.
Background & Context
For decades Costa Rica served as a “passive” transit corridor for cocaine and, more recently, fentanyl, according to a 2025 U.S. State Department report. Expansion of the cargo terminal in Limón turned the Caribbean port into a major storage and transshipment hub, attracting Mexican cartels (Sinaloa, Jalisco) and Colombian groups (Clan del Golfo), as well as Venezuelan and Italian networks.
A surge in gang-related violence prompted a record 907 homicides in 2023. The count fell slightly in 2024 and 2025 but remained high enough to dominate Fernández’s election campaign.
Former President Rodrigo Chaves Robles, who took office in 2022, pursued a hard-line security agenda, securing Bukele’s design for a mega-prison and enacting a 2025 constitutional reform that permits extradition for drug-trafficking and terrorism offenses. The first extraditions to the United States, including former security minister Celso Gamboa, occurred in March 2026.
Data & Statistics
- Capacity: 5,100 inmates (? 20 % of national prison stock).
- Construction cost: $35 million.
- Homicide trends: 907 (2023), 876 (2024) and 873 (2025).
- Organized-crime presence: Mexican cartels Sinaloa and Jalisco, Colombian Clan del Golfo, Venezuelan Tren de Aragua, Italian mafias, and local gangs (researcher Vanda Felbab-Brown, Brookings Institution).
Official Statements & Responses
President Fernández framed CACCO as a “tough-on-crime model” intended to make Costa Rica a “global benchmark for prison security.” Bukele’s administration confirmed the donation of the prison design, noting its role in El Salvador’s security strategy.
Criticism & Opposition
Human-rights groups warned that mega-prisons like CECOT have been linked to overcrowding, due-process violations, and alleged torture. Local observers question whether mass arrests on the scale seen in El Salvador would be politically acceptable in Costa Rica.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Homicide figures for 2023: ABC News cites 907 deaths; Al Jazeera reports 905.
- Financial impact: ABC News lists a construction cost of $35 million; another source notes the design transfer was projected to save Costa Rica about $25 million, but final savings are unconfirmed.
- Inmate flow: Sources indicate the first transfers will occur “at the end of October,” yet detailed timelines for subsequent intake remain unspecified.
Verbatim Quote
- “The CACCO will force criminals to face a new model – a tough-on-crime model. Costa Rica will become a global benchmark for prison security,” — Laura Fernández, president
What’s Next
The first inmates are scheduled to arrive at CACCO by the end of October 2026. Regional leaders, including Peru’s President Keiko Fujimori and Colombia’s newly elected Abelardo de la Espriella, have announced plans to emulate the Salvadoran model.