Costa Rica's President-elect will adopt Bukele's security model to confront drug trafficking

Costa Rica – The elected president of Costa Rica, Laura Fernández, announced that she will adapt the security model of the Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele as part of her strategy against drug trafficking and violence in the country.

Fernández —who will assume office on May 8, 2026 after winning the elections with nearly 48% of the votes— indicated that he maintains a close dialogue with Bukele, who has pledged to collaborate in the implementation of that model in Costa Rican territory. The future leader assured that the initiative will focus on strict security measures, inspired by the strategies that have reduced violence in El Salvador, despite criticism from human rights organizations for alleged violations of individual guarantees in that country.

We recommend reading: Chaves and Bukele lay the first stone of Costa Rica's mega-prison for the most violent inmates

Among the pillars of the proposal is the construction of a high-security mega-prison, with the aim of "cutting off the connection of organized crime with the outside world" and weakening the drug trafficking structures that have grown in Costa Rica Presidenta electa in recent years Costa Rica, traditionally considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, has seen an increase in homicides and organized crime activities, which elevated insecurity as one of the central themes on the political and electoral agenda. The adoption of a model inspired by El Salvador represents a significant change in the country's security policy, focused on a firm hand against drug trafficking and organized crime, and will be one of the first tasks of the new Fernández government.