President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador arrived with his official delegation at the site where Costa Rica will build the new Organized Crime High Containment Center (CACCO), marking a new moment of regional cooperation on security. Upon arrival, Bukele was received by Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves to begin the groundbreaking ceremony for the project.
During the event, President Bukele thanked the Costa Rican government for the invitation, noting that “this is the fourth time we have met in two years,” highlighting the growing bilateral relationship between both countries. He emphasized that insecurity, when left unchecked, affects every aspect of society, from employment and education to investment and tourism.
Bukele warned that organized crime can become a parallel power structure within a country if it is not confronted in time. “When crime takes over a country, it becomes a parallel government,” he said, recalling how gangs and criminal networks once exercised territorial control in El Salvador. He stressed that criminal phenomena grow gradually and, if ignored, eventually destroy institutions and social life.
Drawing from El Salvador’s experience, Bukele explained that his country faced what he described as a true “dictatorship of crime,” where gangs had more control than the official government. He detailed how comprehensive reforms to the justice system, laws, and state institutions were necessary to reverse decades of violence, changes that were made possible through democratic elections and public support.
After transforming El Salvador from one of the most violent countries in the world into what his administration describes as the safest in the Western Hemisphere, Bukele said the country is willing to share its experience. “Just as severe as the disease was, that is how strong the medicine had to be,” he stated, urging Costa Rica to act before criminality becomes unmanageable.
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves welcomed Bukele and his delegation, praising the value of learning from international experience. “Intelligent societies learn from others,” Chaves said, adding that El Salvador’s collaboration has helped Costa Rica save time and resources in the design and planning of the new facility.
Both leaders agreed that Costa Rica still has the opportunity to address organized crime before it reaches the levels once seen in El Salvador. The visit underscored El Salvador’s growing role as a regional reference in security policy and its willingness to cooperate with neighboring countries to confront transnational crime.