US drugs kingpin is arrested in UK after his wife posted pictures of their European holidays - allowing detectives to track them down
- Luis Manuel Picado Grijalbo was wanted on charges of exporting cocaine abroad
- His glamorous wife, 11 years his junior, shared exotic travel snaps online
- Detectives followed the posts and ultimately arrested Grijalbo in London
A drug cartel ringleader has been arrested in the UK - after his wife shared luxury holiday snaps online in plain sight of detectives.
Luis Manuel Picado Grijalbo was grabbed by National Crime Agency officers near London Bridge on December 29 on an international warrant, wanted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on charges of exporting cocaine from Costa Rica.
The country has been rocked by widespread violence between warring cartels - but rarely allows the extradition of criminals. Detectives had to wait for the 43-year-old to travel overseas.
In a twist of good fortune, his glamorous wife Estefania McDonald Rodriguez, 32, was sending photos of her travels to her 21,000 followers on Instagram.
Little did she realise that US agents were following every post, waiting for the moment a warrant was issued so they could pounce. The Instagram account has since been deleted.
On Facebook, she posted images of herself at Rome's Trevi Fountains, captioning the snaps: 'A trip is lived 3 times: When we dream it, When we live it, When we remember it.'
But a trip to London taken at the end of December to ring in the New Year is one she would likely rather forget.
Estefania McDonald Rodriguez and her husband Luis Manuel Picado Grijalbo - in a photo from Paris that helped snare Grijalbo on alleged drug charges
Rodriguez, 32, had plastered glamorous photos of her various holidays across social media - leaving a trail for authorities to follow
Grijalba, nicknamed 'Shock', was wanted in the US on suspicion of trafficking cocaine internationally
Grijalba, nicknamed 'Shock', normally travelled separately from his wife - but the pair were in the capital on a £16,000 trip that took him from Costa Rica's Juan Santamaría Airport to Paris and onwards to London.
DEA agents were watching their every move online thanks to Ms Rodriguez's posts - and with an arrest warrant issued, they asked NCA officers to assist. He was cuffed at an airport, according to Costa Rican authorities.
Randall Zúñiga, director of the Judicial Investigation Agency of Costa Rica (OIJ) - the country's FBI - confirmed the arrest on his X account.
'Nicaraguan naturalized Costa Rican Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, alias "Shock", was arrested at London airport in a joint effort with the DEA,' he wrote.
'His extradition to the US is sought to face charges of international drug trafficking originating from Limón.'
Nicaraguan native Grijalba, who also holds Costa Rican nationality, had also failed to appear in court over a mass fatality shootout at his property in Matama, Límon province in March 2022.
Grijalba was one of the targets of the attack perpetrated on his property where 7 people died, among them Danny Hernandez Fernández, known as the 'Ratón'.
He threw himself behind a cherry tree behind a cabin on his land to escape a hail of bullets, according to Central American media.
Prosecutors sent him three citations - but were unable to enforce them and ultimately ruled him out as a witness.
US DEA agents also couldn't strike within Costa Rica because of its constitutionally protected extradition rules - but had been on his trail for several years.
Ms Rodriguez regularly posted glamorous shots of herself online - in plain sight of officers investigating her husband
Ms Rodriguez's glamorous snaps took in sights from all over the world - watched by agents waiting to pounce on her husband
Ms Rodriguez's Instagram-friendly photos told of travels across the world - from Japan to Europe
Randall Zúñiga, director of the Judicial Investigation Agency of Costa Rica (OIJ) - the country's FBI - confirmed the arrest on X, stating that Grijalba had been cuffed at an airport
Ms Rodriguez is believed to live in Límon province - an area where Grijalba is alleged to have operated a drug trafficking empire
The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project says the country's constitution protects its citizens from prosecution for crimes committed outside of Costa Rican territory so long as they return home safely.
Costa Rican Attorney General Carlo Díaz told The Sun, which first reported the story: 'This is an important capture for us, because we had not yet been able to attribute any criminal act to him in our country.
'But I reiterate, he has been linked in some investigations to drug trafficking in Limón.
'The DEA is not only satisfied with this person serving a criminal sentence, but they also seek to take away all his assets and we are going to collaborate with them.'
Límon province, where Grijalba was operating, has seen a huge surge in gang-related violence in recent years. Its main city of Límon boasts a port thought to be a drug trafficking hotspot.
In 2023, 214 homicides were recorded in the city - more than in the capital San José despite being a third of the size, according to investigative platform Insight Crime.
The drug lord himself has reportedly survived two assassination attempts.
An NCA spokesman said: 'Luis Picado Grijalba, 43, was arrested in the London Bridge area on December 29 and remanded into custody.
'Extradition proceedings are ongoing.'
The kingpin is expected to return to court next month to contest extradition proceedings.
