Sinaloa Cartel member is sentenced to 12 years in prison in Costa Rica

Antonio León Rojas

, a member of the Sinaloa Cartel , was sentenced to 12 years behind bars in Costa Rica , where he was accused of possessing, transporting, and commercializing cocaine . Authorities said he operated cocaine trafficking from Colombia to Mexico through Costa Rica.

Costa Rican authorities sentenced León and five others to prison on June 11.

León Rojas started traveling to and out of Costa Rica in 2015. The DEA reported his presence to local authorities and informed them that the criminal was a high-ranking member within the Mexican drug cartel .

Costa Rican authorities

arrested the Mexican cartel member in February 2018 and accused him of leading cocaine trafficking operations through Central America . Authorities also seized 419 kilograms of cocaine.

Authorities told EL UNIVERSAL that the investigation was launched in April 2017” and that they seized 277 kilograms of cocaine in March 2017 and arrested a man who worked for León.

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In July 2017 discovered the criminals were about to carry an operation involving cocaine and seized it.

In November 2017, authorities seized 213 kilograms of cocaine .

Over 45 years ago, Costa Rica became a key location for drug traffickers because of its proximity to countries producing drugs: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru, as well as the U.S. market.

Over the years, criminal organizations established headquarters to traffic, store, and export drug to Mexico, the U.S., and other countries.

The Sinaloa cartel , among other Mexican drug cartels , has a strong presence in Costa Rica.

Currently, around 70 Mexican are under arrest in the country; the majority of them are facing drug trafficking charges.

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