Costa Rican authorities detain Alejandro Arias Monge, also known as “Diablo,” early Friday in Sarapiquí, bringing an end to a manhunt that has lasted close to a decade. Attorney General Carlo Díaz confirms the arrest, which follows an armed confrontation involving Judicial Police officers, according to reporting from Costa Rica’s Tico Times.
Multiple outlets describe Arias Monge as a drug trafficking fugitive wanted by U.S. authorities. CBS News reports that the U.S. places a $500,000 bounty on him, and he is identified as 41 years old. Free Malaysia Today similarly states that he has been sought for about 10 years and notes that investigators suspect he spent part of that time hiding in neighboring Nicaragua.
The arrest marks the first major development in the long-running effort to locate and capture the suspect, with Costa Rica authorities treating the detention as a significant outcome in a cross-border wanted case.
