---
title: "Costa Rica Opens CACCO Mega-Prison to Combat Organized Crime"
description: "Costa Rican President Laura Fernández has inaugurated the CACCO mega-prison for 5,100 inmates to crack down on a surging wave of gang violence and drug trafficking."
date: 2026-10-15T07:44:55.225Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/costa-rica-opens-cacco-mega-prison
tags: [costa-rica, cacco-prison, organized-crime, security, latin-america]
author: "Roman V."
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Costa Rica Opens CACCO Mega-Prison to Combat Organized Crime

![Opening of the CACCO prison in Costa Rica](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/15/v-kosta-rike-otkryta-megatyurma-cacco/v-kosta-rike-otkryta-megatyurma-cacco-1.webp)

## Key Points

- The Center for the Combat of Organized Crime (CACCO) accommodates 5,100 inmates.
- Construction cost $35 million and was completed in 9 months.
- The prison enforces a strict regime including limited communications, a ban on TV, and restrictions on child visits.
- Costa Rica has faced record crime rates and an overcrowded prison system exceeding 21,000 inmates.

On October 14, Costa Rican President Laura Fernández officially inaugurated the Center for the Combat of Organized Crime (CACCO), a new maximum-security prison designed to strengthen the state's response to an unprecedented wave of organized violence sweeping the Central American nation in recent years. The grand opening ceremony took place at the La Reforma correctional complex in San Rafael de Alajuela, located approximately 25 kilometers from the capital, San Jose.

### Project Scale and Construction Timeline

The large-scale penitentiary facility is designed to hold 5,100 inmates, accounting for roughly 20% of the total prison population nationwide. The CACCO project was built on a land plot of 90,846 square meters with a total construction area of 31,048 square meters, featuring five specialized housing sections. Construction work began on January 14 and was completed in a record nine months, with total investments reaching approximately $35 million USD. The prison was designed following the model of El Salvador's notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, President Fernández emphasized the critical importance of the project for national security. She stated that CACCO will force criminals to face a hardline model of combating crime, positioning Costa Rica as a global benchmark in prison security. Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Gabriel Aguilar announced that the first inmate transfers to CACCO are expected to take place in late October, focusing primarily on high-risk individuals involved in drug trafficking, contract killings, and transnational organized crime.

### Stricter Detention Regime and Security Situation

The CACCO correctional facility operates under exceptionally strict isolation measures. Specifically, phone calls for each inmate are limited to 10 minutes per week, the use of televisions and radios is entirely prohibited, family visits are restricted to once every two months, and personal visits by children are completely banned. These stringent rules are aimed at completely cutting off the coordination of criminal activities from within correctional facilities.

The creation of this mega-prison comes against the backdrop of a severe security deterioration. Once considered one of the safest nations in Central America, Costa Rica has been grappling with violent turf wars among rival gangs fighting over drug trafficking routes. Judicial statistics show that homicides reached a record high of 905 in 2023, remaining elevated at 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025. Concurrently, the nationwide inmate population surged to a record 21,173 by October 2026, putting immense strain on the existing prison system.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [В Коста-Рике открыта мегатюрьма для борьбы с деятельностью преступных группировок.](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/costa-rica-khanh-thanh-sieu-nha-tu-nham-doi-pho-lan-song-bang-dang) - Официальные данные об открытии тюрьмы CACCO президентом Лаурой Фернандес, сроках строительства и характеристиках объекта.

## FAQ

### What is the capacity of the new CACCO prison?

The complex is designed to house 5,100 inmates, representing about 20% of the country's total prison population.

### What restrictions are enforced at CACCO?

Inmates face communication limits of 10 minutes of phone time per week, bans on television and radio, restricted family visits every two months, and a total ban on child visitors.