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Nine extortion gang members arrested in Chiriqui raids

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Posted 25/05/2022

Nine people belonging to a gang allegedly dedicated to extortion were apprehended on Wednesday, May 25 in a joint operation between the Superior Prosecutor's Office Specialized in Crimes of Illicit Association (gangs) and the National Police. 

The group was apprehended after an investigation of almost three years, for the crime of gang activity, said prosecutor Alexis Medina.

Those investigated, one woman and eight men, are allegedly related to the gang known as Bola 8 or Badboy, which operates in the city of David, Chiriqui. and is allegedly dedicated to committing multiple crimes, such as robbery, theft, and drug-related crimes.

The Prosecutor's Office directed the search proceeding and 15 simultaneous points were registered in the city in addition to the seizures, cash, illicit substances, and firearms.

In the next few hours, the Prosecutor's Office will present the nine people before the Court of Guarantees for the legalization of the arrests and imputations of charges.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/nine-extortion-gang-members-arrested-in-chiriqui-raids

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Nearly  one million cash seized in police raid

Posted 04/09/2022

A total of $920,230 in cash were located by personnel from the Public Ministry and agents of the National Police in the district of Arraiján on Saturday, September 3.

As part of the operation, a citizen of Colombian nationality was apprehended and will be brought before a guarantee judge in the next few hours reports TVN.

 According to the Public Ministry, the detainee maintained a precautionary measure for another reason.

The cash was hidden in two parts: in the false bottom of a vehicle that was in a house in the Vista Alegre sector and another sum inside the detainee's home.

At a press conference, the authorities confirmed that the money is related to organized crime and charges will be filed for the crimes of money laundering and alteration of a vehicle.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/nearly-one-million-cash-seized-in-police-raid-1

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Three gang leaders among 12 arrested in police swoop

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Posted 20/10/2022

At least 12 people including three gang leaders were apprehended in an early morning operation, by the National Police together and the Public Ministry on Calle 16, Santa Ana, on Thursday, October 20.

At least three leaders of the "Pentagon" gang and a person suspected of the robbery of a jewelry store on Avenida México were arrested in the operation in which 350 officers participated.

The criminal structure is linked to the commission of crimes of homicide, personal injury, drugs, armed robbery, theft and illegal possession of firearms. There is also a search proceeding in Villa del Sol, district of Arraiján

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/three-gang-leaders-among-12-arrested-in-police-swoop

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Gang territory war leaves two dead in Chilibre

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Posted 03/11/2022

Six people linked to a  double homicide in a parking lot in the early hours of Thursday November  3 in the district of Chilibre have been arrested.

Units of the National Police went to the sector known as 'Chilibrillo' and found six people linked to the crime.

Alexander Sánchez, deputy commissioner of the National Police, reported that the incident is related to disputes between rival groups that are fighting for territorial power.

Meanwhile, the third homicide of the day occurred in Las Margaritas de Chepo in the morning hours, several people were drinking liquor in a bar, when a fight broke out and one of the people involved died after receiving several stabs.

One person was apprehended, reported the National Border Service

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gang-territory-war-leaves-two-dead-in-chilibre

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Police grab 'most wanted' Afghan gang member

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Posted 10/11/2022

Alberto Ríos Ortega, alias 'Albertín' was captured on the morning of November 10 in a search proceeding carried out by the National Police in the El Chumical sector in Arraiján.

'Albertín' was a fugitive from justice and is accused of allegedly being a member of the Afghan criminal group that operated in El Chumical and was dismantled in April in Operation Afek, however, he was not apprehended at that time,  and became one of the most wanted for the crime of gang membership.

According to the information posted by the National Police on its Twitter account, during the search at the residence where "Albertín" was apprehended, alleged illicit substances that had been thrown down a drain in an unsuccessful attempt to dispose of them were seized.

'Albertín' is linked to the alleged commission of the crime Against Collective Security.

The National Police together with the Public Ministry carry out a strong strategy to dismantle the criminal groups that operate in West Panama, after a triple homicide in El Chumical in 2020, which was apparently linked to the La Joya prison massacre in 2019.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/police-grab-most-wanted-afghan-gang-member-2

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Firearms destruction expands alongside gang links to politicians

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Posted 19/11/2022

In the government press releases on the destruction of firearms, there is a kind of self-promotion because these devices are destroyed every month. The security forces set up a stage for the media, in which the weapons are meticulously arranged. These acts are attended by high authorities, including the President and the Minister of Security, who display solemn attitudes, as in a religious ritual.

In this program – which until last October managed to destroy some 28,000 firearms and half a million pieces of ammunition – revolvers and pistols, shotguns, rifles, and even weapons of war, are taken out of circulation.

On average, some 850 weapons are destroyed per month. I suppose that if they end up dismantled it is because they are illegal and confiscated from individuals and gang members who commit crimes in Panama.

Last year, according to the Public Ministry, more than 80% of the homicides – some 600 – were committed with firearms. 2021 marked the fourth consecutive year in which the number of homicides rose steadily. Also in 2021, almost 75% of the murders were committed in Panama, Colón, and San Miguelito. What do these figures tell us? Well, a lot is failing in the government's security policy.

Far from the "success" that their press releases convey, I see in these figures failure.

What do security agencies do to combat arms trafficking? Panama is very small, which gives security forces an advantage in obtaining intelligence and keeping organized crime at bay. But there is no such thing. On the contrary, we see that there are gang members infiltrating the Government, including the National Assembly and the Judiciary.

Surely, those gang members enjoy political protection. How to combat criminal organizations entrenched and protected by the government authorities themselves? Please, let's not fool ourselves. We have seen how some high-flying politicians have come out to defend them or how these gang members work for them in exchange for protection and money from the State.

Seizing weapons is the nice part, but behind-the-scenes setup for the media is a scary theater of operations.

Politicians and gang members united for common causes or in alliances of mutual convenience. If someone is capable of stealing millions from the State, what prevents them from receiving money from gangs? They enjoy protection: impunity and even immunity. Sorry to say, but we are Mexicanized. Not to admit it is to deceive ourselves. There are the numbers and the facts. The rest is fiction.

We on foot don't have bodyguards. It is the politicians who need them, precisely because of what they do. They do not go out without protection or escorts, we pay their victims. We have to walk in fear even to go to a restaurant, because, in a reckoning, armed individuals can enter at any moment and kill us by mistake. Thus, what is certain in Panama is that we are not sure. That is the government's security policy.

Rolando Rodriguez B. La Prensa.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/firearms-destruction-expands-alongside-gang-links-to-politicians

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Organized crime infiltrating Panama’s justice system

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Drug seizure raids receive tip-offs.

Posted 21/11/2022

In August 2015, a network of officials from the Second Court of Justice who collected bribes for the allocation of bail, precautionary measures, and influencing the decisions of juries was exposed; other investigations have uncovered the involvement of judicial officials and security agencies in similar practices.

In the last two years the cases have accumulated reports La Prensa and on Wednesday, November 16, two officials from the Judicial Branch, and two from the General Directorate of the Penitentiary System, were arrested in Colón in the midst of an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor for falsifying a judge's signature to release five people subject to legal proceedings.

In a hearing held Friday, a guarantee judge charged them with the alleged commission of document falsification and drug-related crimes. One of them was detained, while the other three are monitored through electronic bracelets.

On October 28 of this year, another investigation by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office led to the arrest of a woman who worked as an operational assistant in the Public Ministry who forged prosecutors' signatures and used the institution's stamps to remove firearms and ammunition that were in the Custody Center for Seized Assets and Funds.

On May 25 year, an agent of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) was arrested on suspicion of collaborating with an organized crime network that was dismantled with the Polux operation.

The group, which operated between Panama and Colombia and was dedicated to the transfer of drugs.

One of the most notorious cases occurred in February of this year when the Special Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime revealed that Nicel Solano, who worked in the office of Supreme Court Justice Maribel Cornejo, alerted members of the Humildad y Pureza gang, regarding raids and other judicial proceedings. Solano was arrested on February 10 in the midst of Operation Damascus, which dismantled part of a criminal network allegedly led by Carlos Roberto Aguilar.

"At no time was he assigned any criminal case," said the Judicial Branch in a statement.

 Fisher Operation
In January, Neury De La Cruz González, who worked as a notifier in the municipal court of Ancón, reached a sentence agreement after she was arrested in the Fisher operation. The former official was charged with money laundering The Fisher operation has been one of the biggest operations of 2022, after at least $10 million was seized in  Colón.

In that operation, four members of the National Police and another from the Senan were arrested, along with two workers from the Panama Canal Authority, an official from the Ministry of Education, and one from a community board.

On January 19, six members of the Senan were arrested for their participation in a network dedicated to drug trafficking. According to the Public Ministry, they provided logistical support and information to the criminal group about the entity's patrol boats used to detect drug traffickers. Among the most important cases of 2021 is the one related to the release of José Cossio the leader of a criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking.

On September 2021, the then magistrate of the Court, Luis Ramón Fábrega, announced that there was an investigation underway against substitute judge, Gerardo Ríos, for having ordered the release of Cossio.

In a recent interview, María Eugenia López, the Court's presiding magistrate, admitted that there is corruption in the system.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/organized-crime-infiltrating-panamas-justice-system

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Border security teams aid police in war on San Miguelito gangs

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Posted 07/02/2023

Units of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) have been deployed in the streets of San Miguelito since the weekend to assist the  National Police in their battle against warring criminal gangs.

Security Minister Juan Pino, raised the alarm pointing out that the crimes perpetrated in San Miguelito are due to the territorial dispute between rival gangs for control of drug sales.  

Senafront and Senan personnel, who usually operate on the borders of Panama, entered houses, searched passers-by, and arrested others. Since the weekend, 300 members of the Police, the Senan, and the Senafront have been patrolling the most critical areas of the district. Agents will remain in the district until further notice.

"What is happening in San Miguelito is due to drug riots that have awakened old disputes and promote fights for control of the territory between criminal groups, which are responsible for 80% of registered homicides," said the minister.

According to figures from the Ministry of Security, at least 24 gangs operate in the district

The Calor Calor gang which usually operates in El Chorrillo in mid-January claimed responsibility for a gruesome homicide in La Providencia, Belisario Porras district, where a human head was found. Another crime with similar occurred at the end of January is also attributed to this group. In Los Andes No. 2, the body of a half-buried young man whose face had been disfigured with acid was found.

Another gang that works in, in Santa Librada, is called Los Chacales del Nuevo Detroit. The organization, according to the authorities, is responsible for the sale of drugs, hitmen, and extortion.  

Some of its members are accused of the assassination of the leader of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, Wendy Rodríguez, on August 27, 2020. According to the country's intelligence agencies, Calor Calor and Los Chacales del Nuevo Detroit have territorial disputes. that translate into shootings and crimes.

In June 16, 2022, police detained six people linked to the Por Qué Miedo (PQM) and La Tropical gangs, linked to homicides in San Miguelito and Calidonia. Some of the detainees have a history of robbery and homicide. The authorities are also on the trail of members of the Death to the Traitor (MAT) group, which operates in Belisario Frías, and is blamed for robberies, assaults and homicides. Members of Los Batros Locos, Los Millonarios de Samaria, Los Gangster and Los Dinamita,  are among others targeted.

John Dornheim, director of the National Police, said that during the first two months of 2023, drug seizures and arrests have doubled compared to the same period in 2022.

Former Security Minister Rodolfo Aguilera believes gangs have grown "exponentially" in recent years. He recounted that when he served as director of the Judicial Technical Police, (today the Judicial Investigation Directorate), five to six gangs operated throughout the country, which engaged in petty robberies and thefts. but these groups are now "very organized structures dedicated basically to the transfer of drugs from the Colombian cartels."

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/border-security-teams-aid-police-in-war-on-san-miguelito-gangs-1

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Gang leader gunned down at entrance to PH

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Posted 10/02/2023

Roberto Poveda alias "Chicho Cofo", 36 years old, was murdered at the entrance to the PH South Beach, located on Calle 39, Magnolia sector, in the township of Calidonia on the afternoon of  Friday, February 10.     

The first reports indicate that two subjects fired several shots at "Chicho", supposedly the leader of the "Los Cofos" gang of San MigueIito who was seeking refuge in the building reports La Critica.

The body of "Chicho" ended up face down at the door of the condominium building, where his relatives and acquaintances arrived and burst into tears. 
Two people who were at the scene at the time of the attack are being investigated.

His death could be related to a fight between rival gangs since a criminal group is linked to him. The authorities have launched an investigation. 

Poveda had a long criminal record that began in 2002 when he was detained for two months at the Juvenile Compliance Center in Tocumen, for the crime of robbery. Since then, he had been arrested on several occasions for gang membership, homicide, and robbery, among others.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gang-leader-gunned-down-at-entrance-to-ph

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“No Talk” - Crackdown on Gangs in San Miguelito Will Continue

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Posted 10/02/2023

The Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, said on Friday, February 10, that the crackdown will continue to stop the wave of homicides that have been registered at the beginning of this year among gangs, especially in the district of San Miguelito.

“We had a problem in San Miguelito and I admit it. We are going to push, as we know how to push, ”he said.

Pino pointed out that these crimes occurred due to a criminal breach and a drug fight. “This cannot happen again in San Miguelito,” he said.

For this reason, in recent days they have carried out operations together with the Public Ministry. They even reinforced security with personnel from the National Border Service (Senafront) and the National Aeronaval Service (Senan).

So far in 2023, 55 homicides have been committed in the country, mostly linked to drug trafficking.

“We are not going to take care of criminals or talk to them, but to reinforce the repression. We are going after them, ”he warned.

According to the minister, the completion of the installation of cameras in the San Miguelito district is expected by the end of March, a program that will help combat crime in the sector.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/no-talk-crackdown-on-gangs-in-san-miguelito-will-continue

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Family of murdered gang leader gather at site

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RELATIVES and friends of murdered  'Los Cofos' gang leader  Roberto Poveda alias 'Chicho Cofo', 36, at the entrance to the PH South Beach where he was gunned down by unknown assailants at 2.30 pm on Friday His body was left lying in the middle of the glass door of the apartment building. Units of the National Police moved to the crime scene. The Homicide and Femicide Section of the Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office has initiated investigations into this incident which, is linked to inter-gang rivalries.  'Chicho Cofo' was detained in 2007 for the crime of gang membership, as a member of the 'Los Cofos' gang, and ended up as the leader.

Posted 11/02/2023

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/family-of-murdered-gang-leader-gather-at-site

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Captured in Spain

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Posted 21/02/2023

Interpol captured the Panamanian Jaime Powell Rodríguez, alias 'Yunya', in Spain, the authorities confirmed on the afternoon of this Monday, February 20.

According to the National Police, the arrest of Powell Rodríguez occurred during an operation against money laundering crimes in Spain. They specifically apprehended him in Madrid.

"He himself is required in Panama with an official arrest and conduction by the Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office, for the commission of a crime against public faith," a statement details.

Yunya is pointed out by the judicial authorities as one of the alleged leaders of Baghdad.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/captured-in-spain

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162 police probed in 5 years  for links to organized crime

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Posted 10/04/2023

From January 2017 to June 202 Police Directorate of Professional Responsibility conducted 162 investigations involving 214 uniformed officers for drug possession or links to organized crime.

 On June 1, 2021, the colleagues of a National Police captain read an arrest warrant against him. Then they stripped him of his uniform down to his underwear. They handcuffed him and exposed him in front of the rest of the staff in the parking lot of the Transit Operations Directorate, where he worked.

The captain had more than 14 years of service in the Police. Between January and June 2021, he earned about $13,000 in salary and representation expenses, given the responsibility he had over the area.

Later he was imprisoned during the Oasis operation. The Attorney General, Javier Caraballo, had offered details about the dismantling of a criminal group that had been targeted three years ago and that during the course of the investigation had confiscated 2,600 kilos of drugs on different dates.  The criminal group, introduced the drug to Panama by sea through the Pacific from Colombia to the area of El Salado, in the province of Coclé, and by land in the Darién area in double-bottom vehicles to Costa Rica or by containers to Europe. Among the 25 people who were arrested was the captain. The prosecutor's office accuses him of "receiving money from the criminal group in exchange for omitting his obligations, and of providing security in the reception and transport of the drug." In addition, they point to him for allegedly ordering the release of one of the traffickers who, according to the prosecution, provided sensitive information about police operations against drug trafficking carried out in San Carlos, which allowed them to evade police surveillance.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/162-police-probed-in-5-years-for-links-to-organized-crime

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Urban music singer and pastor among 10 arrested in police swoops

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Posted 24/04/2023

Some 10 people, among them, urban music singer Apache Ness and a pastor, have been apprehended during Operation "Babylon" by the National Police, in conjunction with the Public Ministry, in the provinces of Panama and West Panama.

Two of those arrested are allegedly linked to the crimes of embezzlement, and falsification of documents in general, and eight for gang membership and theft, according to the authorities.

The operation was carried out with the objective of dismantling criminal groups dedicated to the illegal sale of vehicles, a crime against economic heritage.

These criminal groups illegally sold complete vehicles and others by piece.

The proceedings continue and so far at least four workshops and a foundation have been raided.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/urban-music-singer-and-pastor-among-10-arrested-in-police-swoops

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Appeals Court confirms restrictions on urban singer

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Posted 10/05/2023

The  Court of Appeals of the First Judicial District of Panama, Mario Carrasco, confirmed the first instance decision issued by a guarantee judge, on the precautionary measure filed against the singer of urban music, Apache Ness.

The singer is being investigated for the possible commission of a crime against the public administration in the form of embezzlement for his alleged involvement in  "Operation Babylon".

Once the magistrates listened to the intervening parties, they assessed the linkage indications that are still maintained in the investigated case and the procedural risk of affecting evidence.

It was determined that the precautionary measures of periodic reporting on the 10th and 25th of each month, prohibition to leave the country, prohibition to approach the facilities of the "International Ministry Reason for Living" foundation, or any parent company or branch of the same, and suspension of his role as president of the foundation.

This case is related to “Operation Babylon” an investigation in which it is detailed that a group of people requested donations of vehicles and office goods to various State entities, which were later transferred or sold to third parties through the falsification of documents, to obtain a profit of said goods.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/appeals-court-confirms-restrictions-on-urban-singer

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June starts with 12 gangland homicides

Posted 07/06/2023

June was welcomed with a burst of gang violence on the streets of Panama, San Miguelito, and Colón resulting in at least 12 deaths in the settling of accounts related to drug trafficking.

Among the reported murders is that of José Ángel Pierce Guerrero and Silverio McGregor, aged 24 and 30, respectively, who were intercepted by several armed individuals in the Verona neighborhood, in the district of 24 de Diciembre, Tocumen. According to police reports, the attackers carried AK-47s  with which they opened fire on both victims, who died at the scene.

Meanwhile, a 55-year-old woman was killed with several bullet wounds in the early hours of  Sunday in the Viñedos neighborhood, in Las Garzas de Pacora..

On Sunday morning, 26-year-old Christian E. Villanueva was shot by several unknown persons in Tocumen.

In San Miguelito, a 17-year-old girl died on Sunday night in sector 19 of Nuevo Veranillo, after several people were shot from a moving car at those attending a party on a soccer field. Another 11 people were injured.

According to police reports, most of the crimes are linked to feuds between gangs and many of the attacks occurred in the clandestine “parkings” (parties without permission from the authorities), which take place mainly on weekends.

Deputy Commissioner Elmer Caballero, who is in charge of the San Miguelito police area, said that 70 parties of this type were reported last weekend. The police intervened in several of these illegal celebrations, where firearms, alcohol, drugs, and excessive noise prevail.

177 homicides
According to figures from the Public Ministry, until April 30, a total of 177 homicides had been registered, 40 more than those committed in the same period in 2022.

However, these figures do not exceed those of 2021, when 183 murders were reported in the first four months.

The figures highlight that 92% of the victims are male and 8% are female.

16% of the murdered men were between 18 and 24 years of age. While 15% were in the range of 25 to 29 years of age and another 16% ranged from 30 to 34 years.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, announced the deployment of another 200 police officers in San Miguelito, to reinforce surveillance work.

Another 135 officers were sent to Colón and Portobelo.

Pino has also said that 80% of the crimes registered in the country are related to drug trafficking and the gangs that are dedicated to their local distribution.

Last February, the Ministry of Security deployed personnel from the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) and the National Border Service (Senafront) in San Miguelito, given the rise in homicide cases related to gangs and drug trafficking.

The former detective of the Judicial Technical Police (PTJ), David Villarreal, agrees with the authorities that the rise in homicide cases is due to temporary situations, whether territorial disputes between rival gangs, drug rackets, and contract killings.

Villarreal emphasizes the need to apply preventive programs for the recovery of young people at social risk. He recalled that many drop out of school and are recruited by gangs.

Crime should not only be attacked repressively. In his opinion, alternatives must be found to recover young people who are looking for job opportunities to help their families.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/june-starts-with-12-gangland-homicides

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FBI tip leads to nine money laundering raids in Panama

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Posted 21/06/2023

The Specialized Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime carried out a series of raids on Wednesday, June 21 in Obarrio, Costa del Este, Avenida Balboa and La Chorrera after an alert from the United States  FBI on the existence of a network dedicated to money laundering.

Sources linked to the investigations revealed that it is a money laundering network that operates internationally and that Panama used to make deposits in bank accounts of legal entities that in turn bought real estate.

According to the investigations, the members of the criminal organization bought real estate, cashed checks, and also engaged in the purchase of cryptocurrencies.

The second specialized prosecutor against organized crime, Isis Soto, explained that the investigation began in March when the legal attaché of the FBI in Panama presented information about a criminal network dedicated to money laundering, coming from crimes such as drug trafficking, fraud, and organized crime.

He specified that during the raids carried out since Tuesday, three people were apprehended, one of them with a 25-year prison sentence for the crime of homicide.

In the nine raids, the sum of $7,000 in cash, checkbooks, debit cards, technological equipment, and a vehicle that is presumed to be used by one of the apprehended was found.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/fbi-tip-leads-to-nine-money-laundering-raids-in-panama

 

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16 arrested in anti-gang raids, 15 detained

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Posted 24/06/2023

The Superior Prosecutor's Office Specialized in Crimes of Illicit Association (Antipandilla) reported that charges were laid for the alleged commission of the crime of gang membership against 16 people.

Provisional detention was ordered for 15, including an alleged ringleader with the alias Pimpi, while a woman was granted a periodic report and prevented from leaving the country.

They were apprehended in the Othar operation carried out by the prosecutor's office in conjunction with the National Police, on June 21, through more than 19 search procedures in the communities of Barraza, El Chorrillo, San Miguel, San Miguelito, Juan Díaz, and Pedregal.

During the proceedings, cash, illicit substances, cell phones, drones, and technological equipment were also seized.

The investigation began in January 2022 and is related to the “Los Cofos Time” or “SS Sin Sentimiento” gang, which maintains territorial control over the San Miguel sector and Calidonia.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/16-arrested-in-anti-gang-raids-15-detained

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$30 million cash seized in anti-organized crime operations

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Posted 02/07/2023

A total of $30 million in cash has been seized in the last four years by public security forces in operations against organized crime.

The Ministry of Public Security reported that some 467 tons of drugs were also seized, as well as goods and properties linked to drug trafficking.

In its report, the ministry indicated that this seizure represents 45% of the drugs seized from 2009 to date, a period in which 1,024 tons of drugs have been seized.

In the same way, the Public Force has confiscated a little more than 10,200 firearms and has destroyed some 34,000.

The provinces with the highest records of seized weapons are Panama, Panama West, Colón, and Chiriquí, the ministry said in a statement.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/30-million-cash-seized-in-anti-organized-crime-operations-1

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Gang Members Arrested

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Posted 22/03/2024

Six members of the dangerous gang 'Real Gangster For Life' were arrested Thursday in Buena Vista, province of Colón, as part of operation 'Praderas'.  The objective of this raid was to dismantle this criminal group, linked to other crimes such as homicide, robbery and drug trafficking. The operation, led by the prosecutor's office with the support of the National Police, included searches at the Nuevo Esperanza prison, where some members of the gang are provisionally detained for other crimes.  During the raids, relevant evidence and clues were seized.  Simultaneously, in the province of Colón, operation 'AresF1' was carried out, which has resulted in the arrest of 17 people so far. These people are wanted for crimes that include homicide, rape, fraud, robbery, and domestic violence, amongst others.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gang-members-arrested

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Fighting Organised Crime: Panama and USA

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Posted 23/05/2024

The U.S. government has allocated more than $12 million in the last two years in support of security assistance for Panama through the U.S. Embassy’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL).  The aid includes technology, equipment, training, communications services, and infrastructure, among others, for the institutions of the Ministry of Public Security. 

“Panama’s achievements in the fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime are impressive,” said U.S. Ambassador to Panama’s Mari Carmen Aponte. “These results speak to the professionalism and dedication of its security services and the benefits of its collaboration with the United States.”  Donations include projects such as the renovation of the checkpoint in Guabalá, Chiriquí province, bordering Costa Rica.  Additional support included materials for the construction of Panama’s drug incinerator; the implementation of gang prevention programs, which have benefited some 140,000 people at risk; the refurbishment of buildings for security units; and significant assistance for the National Border Service (SENAFRONT) and the National Migration Service.  This support allowed the Ministry of Public Security to improve its investigative capabilities to combat financial crimes. 

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For his part, Panama’s President Laurentino Cortizo thanked the U.S. government for its spirit of cooperation and goodwill, a strategic and commercial partner throughout the history of the republic.

On January 11, the Border Protection Profiling and Analysis Unit was created, yet another project with U.S. support, to provide information on threats to border security in the region, especially terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and illicit trade.  In just three months, this unit generated 1,148 security threat reports, including drug traffickers, murderers, document forgers, and alerts on pending cases.  The Biometric Data Sharing Program has profiled nearly 24,000 people, allowing authorities to arrest Interpol-wanted criminals. So far in 2024, the Joint Task Force against Money Laundering and Corruption, which both countries created in 2020, carried out 25 operations, 215 search procedures, apprehended 188 criminals, and seized more than $13 million. 

In addition, to help reinforce security on the borders with Costa Rica and Colombia in their fight against human and drug trafficking, the United States donated more than 60 military vehicles to Panama’s SENAFRONT and National Air and Naval Service. This equipment is also used in counter-terrorism operations in border zones and remote areas.  Panamanian authorities have highlighted the cooperation that exists between the United States and Panama especially in the security sector.

https://chiriqui.life/topic/11564-organized-crime-and-gangs-in-panama/#replyForm

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Gun Violence in Panama Claims Three Lives

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Posted 24/05/2024

Gun violence has claimed the lives of at least three innocent people this week in the province of  Panama.  Luis González, Diva Graciela Montenegro and Yakelin Chavera were carrying out their routine activities when they were caught up in a flurry of bullets.

Luis Gonzales, age 50, was managing a fuel station in San Sebastián when he received a shot to the head, ending his life.  He was on duty when the occupants of a car opened fire on another car, which had arrived to refuel.  Those involved managed to escape, but one of the victims was detained with injuries to his arm and thigh, which required medical attention.

Diva Montenegro and Yakelin Chavera were passengers on a bus caught in the middle of an attack at San Miguelito last Monday.  Diva Montenegro, who left behind orphaned teenage children, was a collaborator of a Super 99.  Former president Ricardo Martinelli lamented her death and stressed the high levels of insecurity in the country.

In recent days, a wave of violence has been recorded in different parts of the country, with different levels of atrocity.  Just yesterday, a 19-year-old deceased male with signs of torture was abandoned in Tinajitas.  His death has been linked to gang warfare.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gun-violence-in-panama-claims-three-lives

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