SAN JOSE, July 24 (Reuters) – Costa Rican ⁠police ⁠captured Alejandro Arias, also ⁠known by his alias “Diablo,” the country’s most wanted fugitive who ​was also sought by the U.S. on drug-trafficking charges, the Central ‌American country’s judicial authorities said ‌on Friday.

Arias, 41, leads a violent transnational criminal organization, according ⁠to the ⁠U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which last year offered a $500,000 ​reward for information leading to his capture.

Arias had been on the run for almost 10 years and was wanted on multiple arrest warrants in ​Costa Rica on charges including drug trafficking, robbery, first-degree murder, and ⁠money laundering.

The ⁠arrest took place ⁠in the ​Sarapiqui region, some 68 kilometers (42 miles) northeast of the capital city San ​Jose, following an ⁠armed confrontation between Arias’ group and police that lasted nearly an hour. It resulted in the death of one member of Arias’ entourage and caused injuries to eight police officers, two of whom ⁠are in critical condition, the Judicial Investigation Agency and the Public ⁠Prosecutor’s Office said.

Alongside Arias, authorities also arrested two other gang members, including the alleged drug-trafficking leader Jonathan Perez, known as “Tan.”

The head of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency also said the gangs linked to those arrested on Friday are believed to be responsible for 360 homicides.

“It was a very precise, very professional operation that led to these arrests which were ⁠necessary for the Costa Rican people,” the agency’s director, Michael Soto, said.

Authorities found five high-caliber military rifles, three handguns, and surveillance drones at the place of Arias’ arrest.

(Reporting by Alvaro ​Murillo; Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez, Editing by Nick Zieminski, ​Sarah Morland and Chris Reese)

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