Costa Rica has begun filling a new maximum-security mega-prison near its capital, San Jose, after the first group of inmates arrived at the facility. The country's Justice Ministry announced the transfer, noting that the complex was built with assistance from the Salvadoran government.
On Tuesday, the ministry released images showing 123 inmates dressed in orange. They were seated with their heads shaved and bowed, their hands placed behind their necks.
"Costa Rica is writing a new chapter in its penitentiary history," Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar said in a statement.
The facility is known as the High-Containment Center Against Organized Crime, or CACCO. It represents a new "tough on crime" approach promoted by the administration of President Laura Fernandez, who inaugurated the prison on October 15. Construction cost $35m, and the site can hold 5,100 inmates.
The ministry framed the project in forceful terms. "CACCO is a monument to national security, a forceful response to organized crime, and a guarantee that the state will exercise its authority without hesitation," the statement said.
According to Aguilar, the prison's capacity is equal to 20 percent of the country's current prison population. He said it will also help ease overcrowding across the penitentiary system.
The move comes as Costa Rica, long considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, confronts a sharp increase in violence tied to drug trafficking and organised crime. The country recorded a record 905 homicides in 2023, followed by 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025.
Authorities say most of the killings stem from disputes between criminal groups over drug trafficking routes and markets.
Costa Rica is not the only country drawn to this approach. Right-wing leaders elsewhere in Latin America have also sought to replicate the mega-prison model.
