Costa Rica arrests drug trafficker known as El Diablo

Costa Rican police arrested Alejandro Arias Monge, described by officials as the country's most wanted drug trafficker, on Friday in an operation that officials said left one person dead and eight police officers injured.

Arias Monge, known as "El Diablo," was taken into custody on Friday morning in Rio Frio, in the northeastern province of Heredia, Attorney General Carlos Diaz told reporters. The United States had offered $500,000 for his arrest.

Diaz said law enforcement officers targeted a meeting of leaders of criminal organizations on a rural property. He said another leader, Roney Rios, was killed during the operation. About 2,500 bullets were fired, Diaz said.

The US embassy in San Juan issued a statement congratulating the Costa Rican government on the operation.

Authorities had sought Arias Monge for about 10 years and suspect he spent part of that time hiding in neighboring Nicaragua. The report said drug trafficking has surged in Costa Rica in recent years, after the country was once considered Central America's safest.