Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, a highly sought-after drug kingpin, was captured in December at a London airport after authorities traced his whereabouts through his wife’s social media posts.
The 43-year-old, also known by his alias “Shock,” had been evading the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for months, accused of orchestrating a cocaine trafficking operation from Limón, Costa Rica, to the United States. According to Randall Zúñiga, the director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department (OIJ), Grijalba’s arrest came after his wife, Estefania McDonald Rodriguez, posted multiple vacation photos during their European getaway.
Rodriguez, who rarely traveled with her husband, was photographed enjoying sunny beaches and visiting iconic European landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Trevi Fountain in Rome. One post from the now-deleted Instagram account revealed the couple posing under the Eiffel Tower, providing authorities with the critical clue that led to Grijalba’s capture.
Grijalba, a naturalized Costa Rican citizen, had spent thousands of dollars to fly his wife and family to Europe to ring in the New Year. They were on a vacation that seemed to be a getaway before Grijalba’s planned arrest.
The investigation reveals how Grijalba’s wife, who frequently documented her travels on social media, inadvertently led to the downfall of the drug kingpin. Grijalba, wanted for his international drug trafficking activities, now faces significant legal challenges following his arrest in London.
