Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 6, 2021 Moderators Share Posted September 6, 2021 Quote Police arrest suspected hitman A 21-year-old man with the alias Rober allegedly involved in the shooting in Vista Hermosa on Saturday which left one person dead and another severely injured, will appear before a Judge of Guarantees on Monday. He was arrested on Sunday. Posted 05/09/2021 https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/police-arrest-suspected-hitman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 9, 2021 Moderators Share Posted September 9, 2021 Quote Gang warfare moves into upscale neighborhoods Posted 08/09/2021 Gang warfare has extended its reach from the red areas to sectors like Costa del Este, Clayton, and San Francisco where no crime boss is safe from summary execution. Public Ministry (MP) investigators who deal with organized crime issues say "They get economic resources from drugs and try to hide in exclusive areas to simulate a decent life,". But their rivals, with their information networks, locate them and are capable of executing them anywhere. No one is safe, not even the neighbors. The authorities believe that the shooting of Juan David Peláez Guzmán in the PH Diamond Tower, in San Francisco, in September fits this profile. Police found11 packages of drugs in his apartment A little earlier, on August 28, Ovidio Omar Castro, alias Tulip, known by the police as the "capo de Nuevo Veranillo" was assassinated in Multiplaza parking lots. He appeared on the payroll of the Mayor's Office of San Miguelito. The day before, the shooting murder of Alexander Ricardo García Vergara was reported on Calle 70 in San Francisco. His executioners surprised them while having a beer in a Lebanese restaurant. The modality is not new. In March 2015, Eduardo Macea, alias Marshall, who was staying in an apartment on Naos Island, valued at about $500,000, was captured. A month later, the authorities apprehended Juan Vicente Blandford White, alias El Patron Juancito, in a residential area in Clayton. Both were wanted crimes of gang activity and drug trafficking. On Saturday, September 4, while the Minister of Security Juan Pino, accompanied by the director of the National Police, John Dornheim, the deputy director Simón Henríquez and the director of the National Aeronaval Service, Jeremías Urieta, participated in an operation against crime organized in Patio Pinel in El Chorrillo and San Miguel in Calidonia, another case shook the capital. In broad daylight on the Fernández de Córdoba road, near Vía España, unknown persons unloaded a burst of bullets at a truck in which two men were traveling killing one leaving the other critically injured. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gang-warfare-moves-into-upscale-neighborhoods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 9, 2021 Moderators Share Posted September 9, 2021 Quote Prosecutors open capo’s early release probe Posted 08/09/2021 The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has taken the first steps in the investigation of irregularities in the premature release, on September 14, 2020, of José Cossio, designated by authorities as the capo of the Calor Calor gang. Among the proceedings is an inspection by the First Criminal Court for Liquidation, in which information was sought on the procedure carried out to release him. Sources linked to the investigation said that the prosecution asked the First Liquidating Court for details of the resolutions by which the alternate judge Gerardo Ríos ordered the release of Cossio, as well as copies of the sentence in which he was convicted of crimes related to drugs and the requests for release presented by the detainee's lawyers. The prosecution also asked the Penitentiary System Directorate for a report on Cossio's permanence in the Punta Coco Penitentiary Center and the offices by which his release from that island prison was authorized. Cossio was sentenced to 74 months in jail for drug-related offenses on January 10, 2019; the judgment was confirmed by the Second Court of Justice, on January 31, 2020. On September 3, the presiding magistrate of the Court, Luis Ramón Fábrega, and the president of the Criminal Chamber of the Court, María Eugenia López Arias, filed a complaint as a result of the irregularities in the release of Cossio. Cossio was arrested on the night of August 28 at a police checkpoint in Costa del Este, after the release order issued by Judge Ríos was revoked. The detainee was sent back to the Punta Coco prison, where there are 11 other inmates considered of maximum danger. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/prosecutors-open-capos-early-release-probe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted September 10, 2021 Author Moderators Share Posted September 10, 2021 Quote “No insecurity in Panama” - Minister Posted 09/09/2021 There is no insecurity in Panama but there is a problem with rival gangs, "said the Minister of Security, Juan Pino during a photo-op tour of the Metro Subway for the installation of 500 surveillance cameras. He was reacting to public concern about the recent murders in San Miguelito including a man shot in broad daylight, at the Cerro Batea health center. “There is no insecurity in the country. But there is a problem with rival gangs. Rival gangs that are Panamanian criminal organizations that fight drugs, "said Pino In this sense, he acknowledged that the situation has become somewhat complicated in San Miguelito. "Now we have a small problem in San Miguelito with these rival gangs," said the Minister. He promised immediate action: “Actions will be taken. The order to the National Police is already in place to reinforce and give security priority to San Miguelito. We know the impatience of the normal citizen who watches social etworks. The networks sometimes do not tell the truth, but there is security and the commitment is there ”, said Juan Pino. Both the Minister of Security and the Director of the Police, John Dornheim, were summoned today to the Women's Commission of the Assembly to respond to a questionnaire on strategies to face crimes such as femicide, domestic violence, among others. He reiterated that he will not resign because he is doing his job. "There is no insecurity in the country because we are doing it, the results are tangible," he said. He attributed Wednesday's killings in Cerro Batea and San Carlos to the rivalry between criminal gangs. Despite questions from various sectors of society, including some groups calling for his resignation, the minister said that "he has not committed any illegal act to resign . " "I am doing the job that corresponds to me and this requires a lot of transparency and strength because we know that when you step on organized crime many times you do not know what you are treading and that is the job that the Ministry of Security is doing," he stressed. He insisted that security cannot be broken, ut with COVID-19 the strategies have changed, and "the results at the end of the year will be seen. " According to Pino, they are going to lower the crime rate in San Miguelito and Panama Oeste. He said that everything that is drugs is linked to organized crime, which is why the finances of these groups have to be attacked, https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/no-insecurity-in-panama-minister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 11, 2021 Moderators Share Posted September 11, 2021 Quote Chorillo shootout leaves one dead Posted 10/09/2021 A shootout on the streets of El Chorrillo on Friday afternoon left one person dead reports El Siglo. The dead person is the son-in-law of Héctor Ávila, leader of the retirees. The killing of Manuel Augusto Mayta Arrocha, aka "Manuelito" who belonged to the gang called "Puros Pa Los Puros." took place on 25th Street. Agents of the National Police maintain the cordoned-off area. Several bullet holes are observed in the car. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/chorillo-shootout-leaves-one-dead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 12, 2021 Moderators Share Posted September 12, 2021 Quote Organized crime infiltrates Panama security services Posted 11/09/2021 NEARLY 200 officials working inside Panama’s front-line security systems have been arrested so far this year in operations against drug trafficking networks and money laundering, according to sources from the Security Ministry. They worked in institutions such as the National Police, the National Border Service (Senafront), the National Aeronoval Service (Senan), the Institutional Protection Service (SPI), the Tocumen Airport, the National Assembly, and the Public Ministry (MP). The detainees took advantage of their knowledge of the state apparatus and their contacts to evade controls in ports, customs and highways. They also had access to sensitive information. In June, in Operation Oasis, 25 people linked to a network to smuggle drugs along the coasts of Chepo and Darien were arrested. Those in charge of facilitating the movement of the cargo were policemen and members of the Public Ministry. According to investigators a captain leaked information and facilitated the passage of vehicles through police checkpoints A second lieutenant of the National Police arrested last April, in the Neptune operation allegedly opened checkpoints, passed information and provided escort and security services to gang members of the Bagdag gang. A total of 20 people were arrested, some linked to the “Joyita massacre”, which left 13 dead on December 17, 2019. In July, in the Master operation, another network dedicated to placing drugs in containers in Pacific ports and destined for Europe was dismantled. Among those detained were 16 dock workers and an official from the National Assembly. Once the information was revealed the president of the Assembly, Crispiano Adames, announced his removal from office. More recently, in the Fusion operation , a gang made of 27 people that operated at t Tocumen International Airport that sent drugs to the United States and Mexico was dismantled. Officials from the Police, the SPI, the Senan, the MP itself, and the Assembly were involved. According to documents read at an impeachment hearing before a guarantee judge, the SPI and Senan agents were in charge of alerting about operations and the location of the anti-drug teams, while an MP official followed up on the criminal proceedings that were being opened. The phenomenon of public servants implicated or accused in drug cases is not new, reports In fact, in September of last year, the governor of the Guna Yala region, Erick Iván Martelo, was arrested with 79 kilos of drugs in the vehicle in which he was traveling. Giovanni Olmos, former assistant prosecutor of the MP, said that although this phenomenon is not new it seems to have been accentuated after the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently, the Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, referred to the issue of drug penetration in the ranks of the security forces. “You know that there are officials who get involved in organized crime and they have a very strict policy, you cannot leave, if you leave you are going to return in a coffin”, he said. Recently fingers have been pointed at members of the ruling PRD with close connections to people murdered by gangs. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/organized-crime-infiltrates-panama-security-services Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 16, 2021 Moderators Share Posted September 16, 2021 Quote Double homicide in Cinco de Mayo Posted 15/09/2021 Two men who had served time for gang membership were gunned down by hitmen in Plaza Cinco de Mayo near the National Assembly at 2 pm on Wednesday, September 15. Witnesses said both men were shot in the head and the killers left the bodies on the pavement and fled in a black pickup. According to preliminary investigations, the deceased resided in San Miguelito and had received sentences for gang activity. On September 4, a shooting on the Fernández de Córdoba road left two wounded, one of them seriously, who later died in hospital. Both the police and judicial authorities justify the increase in these shootings with acts related to organized crime, especially drug trafficking. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/double-homicide-in-cinco-de-mayo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 18, 2021 Moderators Share Posted September 18, 2021 Quote Gangland vendetta inside Punta Coco Jail Posted 17/09/2021 Officials of the Metropolitan Homicide and Femicide Prosecutor's Office went to the Punta Coco maximum security prison home to 12 gangland leaders on Friday, September 17, to conduct a visual inspection at the Punta Coco prison an an attack suffered by Juan Antonio Ramírez (a.k.a. Pipo Cerezo) on September 16 during a fight he had with inmate Eduardo Macea (a.k.a. Marshall). The investigation of this case is carried out ex officio and arises after the transfer to the Santo Tomás Hospital of Pipo Cerezo with fractures in both arms and head injuries. According to preliminary investigations, Macea allegedly attacked Ramírez with a stick when they were in a common use area within the prison. Sources linked to the investigation revealed that the incident occurred after Macea learned that Ramírez had allegedly ordered an attack on a member of his gang in the province of Colón. After medical evaluation the condition of Ramírez was described as delicate due to the seriousness of the injuries. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gangland-vendetta-inside-punta-coco-jail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 19, 2021 Moderators Share Posted September 19, 2021 Quote 12 charged in theft of hospital supplies Posted 18/09/2021 The 12 people allegedly linked to the theft of medicines and supplies from the Social Security Fund (CSS), were indicted with charges of illicit association, 10 of these provisionally detained, after a hearing held in the Accusatory Penal System of the La Chorrera district. The charges were brought by the Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office, which also succeeded in having four charged with embezzlement as perpetrators, and 7 individuals as accomplices. The people were apprehended in various raids through the 'Operation Supplies', an investigation that began in April directed by the Public Ministry in coordination with the National Police, carried out at various residences in the provinces of Panama and Panama Oeste, where supplies and medicines were located. They were stolen from the deposits and warehouses of the Arraiján Polyclinic and the Pediatric Specialties Hospital, both belonging to the CSS. In the raids, they found 75 bundles of paper towels, 70 boxes of toilet paper, a large number of medications, defibrillators, signed and blank disability notebooks, containers for collection of samples, surgical gowns, stethoscopes, gauze, and boxes of swab sample kits, among others. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/12-charged-in-theft-of-hospital-supplies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundageba Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 The question that is obvious is...who was guarding this facility? What form of security systems are installed to protect the property ? This rather large quantity of supplies did not walk out by themselves...it took time and vehicles. Nothing was seen??????????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted October 30, 2021 Moderators Share Posted October 30, 2021 Quote Three gangland execution bodies found roadside Posted 29/10/2021 The bodies of three men were found on Friday morning October 29 on the side of the Cerro Patacon road leading to Centenario near the Rod Carew stadium. Their bodies were tied up and their heads were covered with black bags. They are believed to be victims of gangland executions with no connection to the earlier nightclub killings [SEE: Halloween Party leaves 5 dead, 7 injured] Units of the National Police and the DIJ remain on the scene, while forensic experts collect evidence for the Homicide Section of the Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office to carry out the investigation. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/three-gangland-execution-bodies-found-roadside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted October 30, 2021 Moderators Share Posted October 30, 2021 Quote Gang warfare on the streets of Betania injures 3 including child Posted 29/10/2021 Three people were injured after at least 10 shots were fired at a vehicle on 61st Street, in the Betania district of Panama on Thursday, October 28. The injured were Jean Carlos Navarro, an alleged member of the Calor Calor gang, his wife, and a child under 3 years of age. Also in the car was a two-month-old baby who was unharmed. Agents of the National Police went to the scene to help the wounded and take them to the hospital. They announced that it is presumed that the attack is linked to organized crime. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gang-warfare-on-the-streets-of-betania-injures-3-including-child Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted October 30, 2021 Moderators Share Posted October 30, 2021 Quote Halloween party shootout leaves 5 dead, 7 injured Posted 29/10/2021 A gangland shooting at a pre-Halloween party in the Espacio Panamá pseudo nightclub, on the border between San Felipe and Santa Ana, left five dead and seven injured According to the National Police, the incident occurred between 2:00 am and 2:20 am on Friday, October 29. Two people have been arrested and a firearm was recovered. Prosecutor Rafael Baloyes said that one of the people died inside the premises, was allegedly the one who shot a group first. Four others died at the Santo Tomás Hospital. Baloyes said that it was a confrontation involving the Galactito gang. The owners of Espacio Panamá indicated that they "deeply regret the unfortunate incident that occurred." "We are providing all the necessary collaboration to the competent authorities based on the corresponding investigations," said in a statement released Friday morning. Meanwhile the Vice Minister of Internal Trade and Industries, Omar Montilla, indicated Friday morning that Espacio Panamá did not have permission to sell liquor. He said detailed in Telemetro Reporta and TVN Noticias that the place was not a nightclub either. and its operating license was for a fast-food restaurant. “It does not have permission to sell liquor or to do disco activities, this is a restaurant that must close its activity no later than 12 midnight," Montilla said on TVN Noticias . https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/halloween-party-shootout-leaves-5-dead-7-injured Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted October 31, 2021 Moderators Share Posted October 31, 2021 Quote Gangs rampage as security lapses Posted 30/10/2021 The country - particularly the capital - has been shaken by the number of murders that have occurred in the last hours, in the middle of a gang war whose scene is public and crowded places in the capital. This violence shows the serious deficiencies of the Government in the matter of prevention and re-socialization; they even reveal deficient handling of police intelligence. This administration has forced citizens to carefully monitor their decisions since there is not one that does not hide a double agenda, and now we have to worry about dying, the victim of a stray bullet. Meanwhile, in the National Assembly, the deputies refused to discuss a bill - that of the extinction of domain - that would reduce economic power to these criminal networks. There are deputies who increasingly resemble these criminal groups and even propose rules to favor "those who once made mistakes." The rulers and organized crime are driving the country into chaos for lack of a national security policy. When will they stop improvising and reacting, instead of planning and acting? LA PRENSA, Nov. 30. https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/gangs-rampage-as-security-lapses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundageba Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 Please use caution as you open your doors tonight for Halloween . Know who is there BEFORE you open that door ! Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundageba Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 Clarification: I understand gangs are different than mere thieves, but Halloween can afford a thief an opportunity if you are not cautious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted October 31, 2021 Moderators Share Posted October 31, 2021 Quote Government links to organized crime Posted 31/10/2021 The perception of insecurity that the citizen feels is not only that; It is a concrete fact, although the Government tries to convince us otherwise. An organization that investigates organized crime throughout the world –Global Initiative– places Panama among the countries with a high crime rate and with a State incapable of confronting it. Why can the State do little? Simple: we have criminals entrenched in the Government; still others making laws to benefit perpetrators and abusers, and gang members in political parties. These groups even provide protection because they have accomplices or, worse still, they confront the Public Ministry to defend them with all the political power at their disposal. We haven't hit bottom, but how are we doing? we will end up with a state under the control of organized white-collar criminals, associated with drug gangsters. The numbers reveal this reality: 178 officials from the three organs of the State - Executive, Legislative and Judicial, including the security forces - were prosecuted in 2021 for their links with organized crime. Those are the defendants. But how many more are left and how much power do they accumulate? – LA PRENSA, Nov. 31. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/government-links-to-organized-crime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 1, 2021 Moderators Share Posted November 1, 2021 Quote Eight out of 10 consider Panama unsafe – survey Posted 01/11/2021 Eight out of 10 Panamanians consider that the country is unsafe and three out of 10 have been the victim of some crime in the last year, according to an investigation by the new quality of life observatory of Panama's the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (CCIAP) "Panama, tell me!" The first report of the observatory addresses, among other components, citizen security. The report details that 1,200 Panamanians were asked how they evaluate the country in terms of security and if in the last 12 months they had been victims of any crime. Business unions such as the Association of Restaurants, Bars and Clubs of Panama have called for "a national crusade for safety in our streets and neighborhoods, contributing ideas and inviting the National Government to attack the problem head-on." https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/eight-out-of-10-consider-panama-unsafe-survey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 1, 2021 Moderators Share Posted November 1, 2021 Quote Panama has low resilience to gang networks - study Violence has taken over the streets of the capital reports La Prensa. Posted 31/10/2021 According to the Global Organized Crime Index 2021, Panama has low resilience to face organized crime. On a score from 1 to 10, Panama obtained 4.83, when studying 12 parameters that view political, economic, legal and social measures to combat organized crime. The document highlights that, at the global level, State officials with influence over national authorities are now the main actors of organized crime and not the heads of cartels or mafias. The index, prepared with data from 2020, is the first of its kind and seeks to raise, in a quantifiable way, the actors of organized crime and the illicit activities they carry out in different countries. This, counteracted with the state and justice mechanisms that each country has to confront them. Panama obtained a crime score of 6.68 on the index (on a scale of 1 to 10, where the lower score indicates less crime). This places Panama in 17th of 193 member states of the United Nations, Above Panama, are countries such as Venezuela, Guatemala, Peru, Russia, and Ukraine. The index divides crime into two main aspects: illicit actors and markets. In terms of actors, those that obtain the highest score in Panama are “mafia-style” groups (gangs) and “actors embedded by the State,” with a score of 7.5 for both. “Criminal networks and foreign actors” are the other two actor ratings, for which Panama received a score of 7.0 and 6.0 respectively. Regarding illicit markets with the highest scores, Panama obtained its most critical rating regarding the “cocaine trade” (8.5). Second, regarding “human trafficking”, a score of 8.0 was obtained. At the regional level, the index places Panama in position 5 out of 35 countries in terms of organized crime. that much of the organized crime to which Panama is subjected has to do with its geographical position and its nature of transit. "The cocaine trade, which involves transnational organizations that work with the support of local groups and actors embedded by the State, is the largest illicit market in Panama and poses a significant security risk for the country". In terms of resilience, Panama is ranked 96th out of 193 countries globally. The index gives Panama a score of 4.83 in terms of resilience, which is defined as the ability of the State to cope with and interrupt organized crime activities Panama is ranked 96th out of 193 countries globally. Some of the measured aspects in which Panama shows the most deficiencies are in its judicial and detention system, government transparency, anti-money laundering systems, and support for victims and witnesses. “The participation of states in crime is a deeply rooted phenomenon around the world: state officials and clientelist networks that have influence over the stable authorities are now the main corridors of organized crime”, is one of the findings. The countries with the highest scores in terms of the role played by “actors embedded in the State” have less resilience capacity. The findings show that the level at which crime permeates the state varies, from low-level corruption to complete capture of the state apparatus. In September, La Prensa detailed that at least 178 officials had been arrested so far this year in operations against drug trafficking networks and money laundering. They worked in institutions such as the National Police and other security entities, the Tocumen Airport, the National Assembly, and the Public Ministry. In September 2020, the then governor of the Guna Yala region was arrested with 79 kilos of drugs. Panama's profile on the index website exposes “hundreds of mafia-like organizations” operating in the country, and identifies the Baghdad and Calor Calor gangs, both involved in drug logistics and territory control. The profile details that Baghdad specializes in domestic sales and Calor Calor in the transport of drugs for foreign organizations. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-has-low-resilience-to-gang-networks-study-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 4, 2021 Moderators Share Posted November 4, 2021 Quote “The State does not bow to crime” – security minister Posted 03/11/2021 "The State does not bow to crime, for any reason," said Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino, on Wednesday, November 3 referring to the latest bloody events that occurred in the country amid growing calls for his resignation. According to Pino, the instruction given to the zone chiefs and the Police is that "no one talks to criminals." Recently, the kidnapping and murder of American businessman Randall Leigh Steittmeir and one of his collaborators, Armando Miranda, has caused consternation in the country. This double crime is in addition to the five people who were murdered last Friday at the Espacio Panamá nightclub, in San Felipe, as well as a triple homicide in Kuna Nega. "I say it was a bad week because it was," but that does not mean that every week will be like this. We are going to have better days," he said. The minister added that the police officers will continue in the streets. "We are going to do the job, those responsible will go to justice," he said. Earlier he had called on police to be “more forceful” in combatting crime. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-state-does-not-bow-to-crime-security-minister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 5, 2021 Moderators Share Posted November 5, 2021 Quote Two suspects linked to attempted assassination detained Posted 04/11/2021 Two people charged with attempted aggravated homicide were ordered held in preventive detention on Thursday, November 4 for their alleged link to an attack that occurred on Thursday last week in the Los Angeles urbanization, Betania district. Three people were injured, one of them seriously. During police raids, a firearm was recovered which is undergoing ballistic tests to determine if it was used in the attack. The Public Ministry reported that it continues with the search for other people related to the event https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/two-suspects-linked-to-attempted-assassination-detained Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted December 2, 2021 Moderators Share Posted December 2, 2021 Quote $70,000 on heads of suspects linked to cartels and deputy Posted 01/12/2021 A total of $70,000 is offered by the National Police to locate and apprehend Carlos Roberto Aguilar Becerra, alias Rober, and Franklin Ariel Acevedo, alias Franklito, allegedly the leaders of the criminal organization "Humildad y Purza" (HP). In addition, the National Police are looking for 13 more people, including Teresina Lineth Vigil Pérez, wife of alias Rober and sister of Panamanita deputy Elías Vigil Pérez, of the 8-10 circuit. In March 2019, an investigation by La Prensa exposed a series of facts that linked alias RobCer with the campaign of the current deputy Vigil. Since then Aguilar Becerra was identified by the authorities as the man who handled the financial affairs of the HP gang, along with Franklito Acevedo, who was accused of a double murder in June 2012. The Police released the photograph of all of them and said that they are people dedicated to the reception, custody, and transfer of drugs to the United States and Europe. On November 18, the Special Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime, in coordination with the agents of the National Police, carried out the “ Damascus ” operation, which had the objective of dismantling the organization. Five people were detained in San Martín, Panama east, and taken before a judge of guarantees to legalize their arrest, impute charges and request precautionary measures. According to the investigations, they were allegedly implicated in the reception, custody, and transfer of drugs and, according to the National Police, "generators" of different crimes, such as commissioned homicides, money laundering, and other crimes related to drug trafficking. According to the investigations, the group maintains ties with the Clan del Golfo, of Colombia, which is related to several Mexican cartels. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/70000-on-heads-of-suspects-linked-to-cartels-and-deputy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted December 8, 2021 Moderators Share Posted December 8, 2021 Quote “Most-wanted” HP gang members in preventive detention Posted 07/12/2021 Two people on the Damascus operation's most-wanted list were ordered held in preventive detention by guarantee judge Ruth Aizpú Ramos, at a hearing that ended at 3:00 am on Monday, December 6. Carlos Ariosto Pérez Rivera and Victoriano Aguilar Becerra were charged with the alleged commission of the crime of money laundering and illicit association to commit a crime. The Damascus operation is part of an investigation by the Special Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime in which they are after a criminal network allegedly led, among others, by Carlos Roberto Aguilar, alias Robert. On Friday, December 3, the authorities captured Aguilar Becerra an alleged member of the HP gang and Robert's brother. The action occurred in the Pueblo Nuevo area. According to the prosecution, the HP gang is a criminal group responsible for activities of illicit association, hired assassins, drug trafficking, and illicit association and that would have a close collaboration with the Clan del Golfo. The investigation began in October 2018, in which the prosecution located evidence against several people who allegedly participated in multiple criminal activities. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/most-wanted-hp-gang-members-in-preventive-detention Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted January 27, 2022 Moderators Share Posted January 27, 2022 Quote Organized crime prosecutor appeals house arrest move Posted 26/01/2022 The Specialized Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime has appealed the decision of the guarantee judge Yanina Mosquera, who granted a precautionary measure of house arrest to Teresina Vigil, aka La Patrona investigated for the alleged crime of illicit association within the "Damasco" operation. In a hearing to review the precautionary measures, Mosquera replaced the precautionary measure of preventive detention initially applied to Vigil and granted her house arrest. This measure was granted after Vigil's defense attorney, Leonardo Paul, provided new evidence about her health condition and procedural elements to access treatment Vigil is linked to the "Humildad y Purza" gang, presumably led by her romantic partner Carlos Roberto Aguilar (alias Robert). The Prosecutor's Office attributes links to that organization with the Clan del Golfo for drug trafficking from Colombia. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/organized-crime-prosecutor-appeals-house-arrest-move Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted March 25, 2022 Moderators Share Posted March 25, 2022 Quote The anatomy of Panama’s 159 gangs Posted 24/03/2022 There are 159 gangs operating throughout Panama, according to reports from the Ministry of Security (Minseg). They are concentrated in Panama (90), Colón (33) and Chiriquí (19). Data from the Anti-Gang Unit of the National Police (PN) indicates that in Colón two of the main groups dedicated to international drug trafficking control the rest, that is, they have 31 criminal cells under their command. While in West Panama, where four gangs are registered, the scheme changed. The deputy commissioner of the PN Police Investigation Directorate, Raúl Julio, told La Prensa that with the massacre in La Joyita prison on December 17, 2019 —which left 13 dead— the gangs were divided. This, in turn, led to a string of crimes. According to the Homicide and Femicide Prosecutor's Office, in that region, 22 homicides —of 80 committed in the province— are related to La Joyita. "These individuals know the modus vivendi of their partners, they know their relatives," he says. For this reason, Julio adds, most of the violent acts occurred in the residences of the members of antagonistic criminal groups. The gangs seek the union or alliance of small criminal groups in each of the neighborhoods that they finance and use to commit high-impact crimes, such as homicides, robberies, extortion, and the distribution and sale of drugs. Cycle of violence The authorities often arrest and sentence them, but others reappear, and even co-participate in crimes from prison. Throughout 2020, the Specialized Prosecutor for Crimes of Illicit Association (gang), led by Nahaniel Murgas, participated in 416 hearings, achieving 135 convictions: 29 of those convicted belonged to a gang from Curundú, 20 to one from Colón, and another 20 one from Vera Cruz. The rest relate to cases from across the country. In some, the sentences involved 128 months in prison. For the sociologist, Gilberto Toro, thefts and robberies express two types of criminal culture. The first is made up of amateur or young criminals and the second is made up of criminals who do not hesitate to commit acts of violence, including murder and kidnapping, in order to achieve their goals. Thus, theft can be described, according to Toro, as a "crime school" that spins the wheel and perpetuates the cycle of criminal activity. Toro affirms that this is often preceded by homes in which domestic violence prevails, which cultivates and forms individuals who normalize violence. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-anatomy-of-panamas-159-gangs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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