Cartel boss who burnt and decapitated victims shoots eight cops during arrest
Alejandro Arias is nicknamed after the devil and was Costa Rica’s most wanted man until his arrest during a shootout which saw eight police officers injured
Arias was involved in a shootout with police(Image: U.S. Department of State)
A violent criminal named after the devil has been arrested following a bloody shootout that saw eight officers injured.
Alejandro “El Diablo” Arias, whose nickname translates to mean The Devil, was, until his capture, Costa Rica’s most wanted fugitive, having been linked to hundreds of homicides and the trafficking of huge quantities of illegal narcotics.
Arias, who was arrested alongside two other alleged gang members, had been on the run for nearly a decade when cops finally tracked him down to a property in Costa Rica’s Sarapiquí region, according to investigative outlet Insight Crime. The seasoned criminal issued an armed response to the police presence, with at least eight cops suffering gunshot wounds, with two still in critical condition.
Arias was arrested after an hour long shootout (Image: Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency/AFP via Getty Images)
One member of Arias’ entourage was killed during the operation, which lasted around one hour, according to local reports, while two others were arrested.
According to reports, large quantities of money were also found at the property, along with firearms and a poster of Pablo Escobar decorated with the famous cartel slogan “silver or lead”.
Costa Rican President Laura Fernández described Arias as a “high-end criminal”, warning that her country will have to work hard to avoid him either escaping or continuing to run his criminal empire from jail.
Arias reportedly had a poster Pablo Escobar in his house(Image: Internet Unknown)
She wrote: “ The challenge will be ensuring he doesn’t escape or continue directing criminal activities from prison.”
In a statement, the US embassy in Costa Rica said: We congratulate the Costa Rican officers on this morning’s capture of Alejandro Arias Monge.”
“Our thoughts are with the brave officers who were injured during the operation. We recognise their courage and the skill with which they carried out this important arrest.”
Arias was one of Costa Rica’s most notorious gang leaders(Image: Getty )
The 41-year-old cartel boss had for the past few years dominated the Central American country’s criminal landscape, using extreme violence to dominate the drugs trade.
According to local media, at least 360 murders have been linked to various feuds involving Arias and his followers, many of which have seen victims decapitated or burned alive.
The US Drugs Enforcement Agency had previously offered a $500,000 bounty on his head, describing him as heading up a ‘violent transnational criminal organisation’.
