Three Mexican nationals have been extradited from Costa Rica to Milwaukee to face charges over the alleged trafficking of nearly 840kg of cocaine, valued at about $16.8 million (£12.8 million).
Miguel Ángel Campos-Barragán, Giovanni Vidrio-López and Eustaquio Espinosa-Hernández were crew members of the US-flagged vessel My Lisa Too, which was stopped near Quepos on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast on 15 April 2025.
Costa Rican authorities said they found the cocaine concealed on board and arrested the three men. The defendants were later transferred to the US after being indicted in Wisconsin’s Eastern District in May 2025. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwi/pr/mexican-nationals-us-flagged-vessel-extradited-face-maritime-narcotics-trafficking))
Milwaukee court appearance
The men appeared before US Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph in Milwaukee on Monday, 19 October, and were ordered to remain in pre-trial detention.
A two-count indictment alleges that the defendants conspired with others to possess at least 5kg of cocaine with the intention of distributing it while on a US vessel. A second count relates to alleged possession of cocaine on 15 April 2025.
The charges cover an alleged conspiracy operating from about January 2024 until the date of the seizure. The claims have not been tested in court, and all three men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Brad Schimel, First Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, said the seizure was one of the largest drug cases ever charged in the district.
He said the case was unusual because the drugs were intercepted before they entered the United States, adding that the quantity involved was rarely seen in a prosecution brought in the district.
The investigation involved the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Milwaukee and San Jose offices, the FBI’s Milwaukee field office and Costa Rican law-enforcement agencies. The US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the US Marshals Service also assisted with the extraditions. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwi/pr/mexican-nationals-us-flagged-vessel-extradited-face-maritime-narcotics-trafficking))
Federal officials said the prosecution forms part of a Homeland Security Task Force initiative targeting international drug-trafficking organisations and other transnational criminal networks.
