Drug / Narco Trafficking, Anti-Drug Operations

[Moderator_02]

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$60 million coke haul in Colon hits traffickers

Posted on August 10, 2018 in Panama

 

 

A thousand packages of cocaine valued at $60 million have been seized in  Cristóbal Colon. They were stuffed in 29 black sports bags in a container destined for Belgium. Eduardo Rodríguez the Special Prosecutor for Drug-Related Crimes in Colón and Guna Yala, said it was  the biggest haul in the history of the province and a heavy blow to drug traffickers

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/60-million-coke-haul-in-colon-hits-traffickers

[Moderator_02]

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763 drug packages seized and 5 people arrested, including 4 Colombians, in Panama

Mon, 08/27/2018 - 15:34

The Panamanian authorities reported today the seizure of 763 drug packages, the vast majority marijuana, and the arrest of five people, four of them Colombian citizens, in two different operations.

The Public Ministry published this Sunday on Twitter that 719 packages of marijuana and two of cocaine were found in the boat named "Que Murmuren", during a patrol of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) in an area northeast of Isla Villa, province of Los Santos (Pacific).

According to the brief information provided so far, Senan agents intercepted the boat, described as a speedboat, finding packages with the illicit substance and that was manned by the four Colombian citizens.

Also, the Public Prosecutor's Office reported the Panamanian Border Police seized 40 packages of cocaine and 2 of marijuana in an operation in which an injured person was arrested.

In a message on Twitter, the Prosecutor said the seizure was executed by agents of the National Frontier Service (Senafront) in the province of Darién, bordering Colombia.

In addition to the illicit substances, the authorities seized "two rifles", and "a person was arrested and is still wounded," according to official information, which does not provide further details.

Panama seized at least 84.6 tons of drugs in 2017, most of them cocaine, a record number according to official data.

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/763-drug-packages-seized-and-5-people-arrested-including-4-colombians-panama-7681

[Moderator_02]

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46 arrested in Chiriqui anti-drug busts

Posted on August 27, 2018 in Panama

 

 

FORTY  anti-drug operations in Chiriqui  so far this year have led to the arrest  and  prosecution of  46  alleged dealers. Ninfa González, Coordinator of the Drug Prosecutor's Office in Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro, said that the raids have been carried out in conjunction with security agencies The districts with the highest incidence are David, Barú, Bugaba, Boquete, Gualaca, and Renacimiento.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/46-arrested-in-chiriqui-anti-drug-busts

[Moderator_02]

Moderator comment: Following immediately below is an automated translation (without editing) of the news article quoted at the bottom of this posting.

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Five police officers investigated in Chiriquí for alleged cases of drugs

Five units of the National Police are investigated in the province of Chiriquí for allegedly being related to cases related to illicit substances (drugs), revealed a judicial source, who points out that four of them remain detained as a preventive precautionary measure to keep them rooted in the processes who are followed

The source specified that in four of the cases, charges for possession of illicit substance were filed, each proceeding to request preventive detention by the drug prosecutor's office of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Chiriquí.

Among the four cases that are investigated is the seizure of a second corporal of the National Aeronaval Service (SENAN), of service in Chiriquí, captured with 30 packages of illicit substance when driving a vehicle in the city of David at the height of the road Interamerican Hospital near the Rafael Hernández Hospital.

The fifth researcher is not detained because he was placed a small envelope which is presumed to be for consumption, says the source.

Another case under investigation is against an agent of the National Police who was apprehended in the district of Bugaba when he was transporting 41 packages of illicit substance and more than three thousand dollars in cash.

The authorities of the Public Prosecutor's Office also managed to seize a unit of the National Police that ordered a refrigerator where 25 packs of drugs were hidden, in this case the taxi driver who went to remove the refrigerator in a company was also arrested of transportation in David.

Another case is registered in the district of Barú, where a policeman was apprehended with several rectangular packages of alleged drugs.

The fifth researcher is not detained because he was placed a small envelope which is presumed to be for consumption, says the source.

 

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Investigan en Chiriquí a cinco policías por presuntos casos de drogas

Un agente de la Policía Nacional que fue aprehendido en el distrito de Bugaba cuando transportaba 41 paquetes de sustancia ilícita y más de tres mil dólares en efectivo.

José Vásquez/Chiriquí
Actualizado: 10/9/18 - 03:05 pm

Cinco unidades de la Policía Nacional son investigadas en la provincia de Chiriquí por estar presuntamente  relacionados a casos vinculados a sustancias ilícitas (droga), reveló una fuente judicial, quien señala que cuatro de ellos permanecen  detenidos como medida cautelar preventiva para mantenerlos arraigados a los procesos que se les siguen.

La fuente precisó que  en cuatro de los casos se formularon cargos por  posesión de sustancia ilícita, procediendo en cada uno de ellos a solicitar la detención preventiva por la fiscalía de drogas del Ministerio Público en Chiriquí.

Dentro de los cuatro casos  que son investigados esta la aprehensión de un cabo segundo del Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (SENAN), de servicio en Chiriquí, capturado con 30 paquetes de sustancia ilícita cuando conducía un vehículo en la ciudad de David a la altura de la vía interamericana próxima al hospital Rafael Hernández.   '

El quinto investigado no está detenido porque se le ubicó un sobre pequeño el cual se presume que era para el consumo, señala la fuente.

Otro caso bajo investigación es contra un agente de la Policía Nacional que fue aprehendido en el distrito de Bugaba cuando transportaba 41 paquetes de sustancia ilícita  y más de tres mil dólares en efectivo.

Las autoridades del Ministerio Público también lograron la aprehensión de una unidad de la Policía Nacional que puso como encomienda una nevera donde estaban ocultos 25 paquetes de drogas, en este caso se detuvo también al conductor del auto taxi que fue a retirar la nevera en una empresa de transporte en David.

Otro caso se registra en el distrito de Barú, donde un policía fue aprehendido con varios paquetes rectangulares de presunta droga.

El quinto investigado no está detenido porque se le ubicó un sobre pequeño el cual se presume que era para el consumo, señala la fuente.

 

https://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/provincias/investigan-en-chiriqui-cinco-policias-por-presuntos-casos-de-drogas-1115752

[Moderator_02]

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Minibus passengers – 598 cocaine packs

Posted on September 16, 2018 in Panama

Post Views: 225

 

Uniformed National Police at a checkpoint in Sabanitas were checking the driving license of a mini-bus driver with no visible passengers who was acting suspiciously on Saturday afternoon September 15 when he took off.

They found the bus in the parking lot of a mini-super with its abandoned passengers … 10 suitcases containing  598 packages of cocaine.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/minibus-only-passengers-598-packages-of-cocaine

[Moderator_02]

Moderator comment: From Twitter, and here is an unedited automated translation:

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Hit the drug trade. Officials of the Drug Prosecutor's Office of Colón, @ SENANPanama @aduanaspanama seize 15 bags with alleged illicit substance inside a container from Buenaventura, Colombia. The drug was inside the Guayaquil Express ship.

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https://twitter.com/PGN_PANAMA/status/1052162999782428672

 

[Moderator_02]

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Panama receives USA equipment to fight against drug trafficking

Fri, 11/02/2018 - 17:39

The National Aeronaval Service of Panama (Senan) today received equipment worth 1.7 million dollars donated by the US Embassy to strengthen the operational capacity of this police force in the fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.

The donation consisted of two Boston Whaler boats, 37 feet each, worth $ 715,397 each, and a John Deere tractor to move them, reported the press office of the US diplomatic mission in Panama.

Two vans were also delivered that will widely enable the Senan to transport their equipment, and 15 night vision devices.

The equipment was delivered to the Panamanian Minister of Security, Jonathan Del Rosario, who received them along with the former minister of the portfolio, Alexis Bethancourt, at an official ceremony held at the naval base of the Senan.

"Today, not only is the donation of the two Boston Whaler boats, but also the meaning of today's donation is an investment in our collaborative alliance," said the chief defense officer of the US Defense Cooperation Office in Panama, captain Matthew Turner.

This equipment delivery is part of the continued cooperation of the United States and Panama on security issues, said the US Embassy.

The director and deputy director of the Senan, Gilberto Méndez and Juan Pino, respectively, participated at the ceremony, the police force said on Twitter.

Méndez and a representative of the US embassy baptized one of the boats "that will help to continue the fight against drug trafficking", said the Aeronaval Service.

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/panama-receives-usa-equipment-fight-against-drug-trafficking-8283

[Moderator_02]

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1,315 drug packs, 3 arrests in Colombia border swoops

Posted on November 4, 2018 in Panama

Post Views: 194

 

Two operations by National Border Service (Senafront ) on the border with Colombia led to the seizure  of  1,315 drug packages, and the arrest of three narco-traffickers in the central Pacific region of Panama judicial and security sources reported on Saturday.

In a Twitter message, the  Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office said that a “vessel from Colombia”  was intercepted and 1,002 packages of drugs were seized and three men arrested, of which two of which were “injured”, in circumstances not specified in the official information.

The National Aeronaval Service (Senan) reported Saturday that its agents seized 313 packages of an “illicit substance to be determined”, which were found in a boat whose crew took flight  “when noticing the presence of Aeronavales units”

In the last year, Panama seized at least 84.6 tons of drugs, mostly cocaine, a record figure according to official data.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/1315-drug-packs-3-arrests-in-colombia-border-swoops

[Moderator_02]

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Drug prosecutors douse lights of million dollar Christmas candles

Posted on December 7, 2018 in Panama

 

 

Raids on warehouses and homes in San Antonio) and Cerro Viento spoiled Christmas for drug traffickers and uncovered $1,142 million, hidden inside candles. The operation involved personnel from the  Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Drug-related Crimes and National Police agents.  First Drugs Prosecutor  Markel Mora,  said that hiding cash in candles is a new modality used by drug traffickers in Panama.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/drug-prosecutors-douse-lights-of-million-dollar-candles

[Moderator_02]

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Panama Drug seizures rocket in 2018

Posted on December 8, 2018 in Panama

 

 

TWO DRUG seizures by Panama’s Aeronaval Service (Senan) on Friday, December 7  bring the total seizures so far this year to  89 which is 41 more than in 2018 according to Major Cristián Escala, head of the Special Boats Unit. Escala said that one of the recent operations was in the Balboa area, where a merchant ship was searched and packages 75 packages of presumed drug were found.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/panama-drug-seizures-rocket-in-2018

[Moderator_02]

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385 drug packages seized with 2 people captured in Panama

Tue, 01/08/2019 - 12:29

The National Police and the Attorney General's Office of Panama seized today a total of 385 drug packages in different actions and arrested 2 people allegedly linked to this drug operation. Reported an official source.

In a beach area of Veracruz, about 12 kilometers west of the capital, 6 sacks with 210 drug packages were seized and two people were arrested after trying to get rid of the bags. They were throwing the sacks from a car. The National Police (PN) said on Twitter.

The Public Ministry coordinated the confiscation of this cache.

In the Caribbean province of Colon, north of the capital, the anti-drug prosecutor's office of the Attorney General's Office and the National Anti-drug Directorate of the PN, seized 175 packages of an illicit substance not determined during the search of a residence.

In addition to the drug, in this police action, a firearm and 12bullets were confiscated.

According to information published by the MP on his Twitter, this house "was supposedly used to store illicit substances which are later introduced to ports in the province of Colon."

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/385-drug-packages-seized-2-people-captured-panama-8890

[Moderator_02]

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The US donates almost $5 million worth of equipment to fight drugs in Panama

Tue, 02/05/2019 - 18:05

The United States donated a US $ 4.9 million worth hangar and military equipment to Panama on Tuesday to reinforce the fight against drug and human trafficking as well as operations to deal with emergencies on Colombia's border.

The hangar, whose construction took about a year at a cost of 2.1 million dollars, is at the base of the Aeronaval National Service (Senan) located in Metiti, a community in the Darien province, on the border with Colombia, where the official ceremony took place.

This border area is used by the transnational crime as a corridor for the migrants' traffic from all over the world and who seek to reach the United States, as well as for drugs' transfer.

The US donation includes vans, ambulances, off-road vehicles, tractors, spare parts for anti-drug boats and devices for night and thermal vision, just over $ 2.8 million worth equipment, and they were delivered to the National Border Service (Senafront) and the Anti-Drug Operations Tactical Unit (UTOA), indicated the official information.

The Minister of Public Security, Jonattan Del Rosario, assessed as "very important" the United States' donation, a country with which Panama "works closely" in the fight against drugs' scourge and human trafficking.

The United States "has recognized the great contribution made by Panama to the security not only of the country but of the region," and the donation "is complemented by what we have been doing with the Panamanian budget" within the framework of a strategy that seeks to "build capacity "to act" from the base of interagency operations," added the Minister of Security.

Del Rosario stressed that "drug's production and drug trafficking in the South of the continent continues to increase," he explained it is a challenge for Panama, which has managed the situation to the point of becoming the fourth country in the world with the most seized drugs.

"We are working very closely with the United States Government, with other neighboring countries, friends, in the fight against transnational crime, but we will always need the active collaboration of citizens" to "identify networks and dismantle them," said the Panamanian Minister.

He also stressed that "50% of intentional homicides" registered in Panama in 2018 "were directly related to drug trafficking, and this year the trend is very similar."

For his part, the US interim ambassador in Panama, Roxanne Cabral, said the donation was planned for a year and that is a further demonstration of his country's "constant commitment" to the Panamanian anti-narcotic fight and people trafficking.

The general director of the SENAN, Gilberto Mendez, said that with the hangar in Meteti it will be possible to carry out maintenance work on the aircraft without the need to take them to the Panamanian capital, and there will be "a helicopter ready to support the Senafront and the security operations."

The deputy director of the Senafront, Oriel Ortega, remarked that equipment such as "fourth generation viewers are going to help to project more capabilities in the nocturnal operations of drugs' interventions".

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/us-donates-almost-5-million-worth-equipment-fight-drugs-panama-9161

[Moderator_02]

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Narco-traffickers hit by second-weekend bust

 

Posted 19/03/2019

 

ANOTHER blow to drug trafficking  in Panama was struck on Monday, March  18  with the seizure of  at least 947 drug packages only 72 hours after police confiscated 1,289 packets set and arrested  three men in Coclé

The latest stash was in a house  Coclé in the community of Alto del Marañón in the district of Natá, in Coclé province. So far no arrests have been made.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/narco-traffickers-hit-by-second-weekend-bust

[Moderator_02]

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Joint team drug seizure from semi-submersible

 

Posted 08/04/2019

 

In a combined operation between the authorities of Panama and Colombia, with the support of the United States,  920 packages of drugs were seized aboard a semi-submersible vessel on Monday, April 8  reports the   National Aeronaval Service (Senan).

The vessel was located in Colombian waters trying to evade control agents.

Colombian authorities arrested two Colombians and an Ecuadorian.

Senan said that this was the first successful combined operation this year, in a joint effort between friendly countries in the fight against drug trafficking.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/joint-team-drug-seizure-from-semi-submersible

[Moderator_02]

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Most wanted drug thug caught in Clayton

Posted 10/04/2019

One of Panama’s “most wanted”  criminals was arrested at a residence in Clayton, on Wednesday, April 10. Juan Vicente Blandford White, alias El Patrón Juancito with a $25,000 price tag on his head. is wanted for drug trafficking and money laundering.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/most-wanted-drug-thug-caught-in-clayton-1

[Uncle Doug]

On 4/9/2019 at 11:14 AM, Moderator_02 said:

were seized aboard a semi-submersible vessel

That seems to me to be a binary thing.  Either it is or it isn't, right?

[Bud]

As a former navy guy here is a good definition:

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sem·i·sub·mers·i·ble

  (sĕm′ē-səb-mûr′sə-bəl, sĕm′ī-)

n.

1. Any of various self propelled water vessels designed so that most, but not all, of the structure is submerged, including vessels with decks close to the waterline for transporting large structures such as oil rigs and disabled ships, and vessels with minimal structure above the waterline for avoiding detection.

2. A seagoing, self propelled barge that has partially submerged vertical legs attached to underwater hulls or pontoons and serves as living quarters and a base of operations in offshore drilling. In this sense also called semisubmersible rig.

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Semi-submersible

[Moderator_02]

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Drug capo swops luxury for Panama Alcatraz

  Posted 12/04/2019  

Juan Vicente Blandford White, alias "El Patrón Juancito", 47, reported to enjoy   protective political and business  links has exchanged  dalliance in his luxury homes in Clayton and Panama Pacifico  for a cell in the El Coco maximum security prison, reserved for dome dozen “highly dangerous.”Juan Vicente Blandford White, alias "El Patrón Juancito", 47, reported to enjoy   protective political and business  links has exchanged  dalliance in his luxury homes in Clayton and Panama Pacifico  for a cell in the El Coco maximum security prison, reserved for dome dozen “highly dangerous.”

Juan Vicente Blandford White, alias "El Patrón Juancito", 47, reported to enjoy   protective political and business  links has exchanged  dalliance in his luxury homes in Clayton and Panama Pacifico  for a cell in the El Coco maximum security prison, reserved for dome dozen “highly dangerous.”

He was taken there  on Thursday, April 12 in  a helicopter of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan), The native of Colon and Panama’s  most wanted man and native of Columbus at the time of his arrest on Wednesday transfer was dressed in a sweatshirt er and long pants with a bulletproof vest, and hands and feet in cuffs.

,"El Patrón Juancito" had a  $25,000 reward, on his head he was captured after an intelligence operation.

He is considered a highly dangerous leader of a criminal group in the province of Colon, known as Real Gangster Four Life (RG4L).

The National Police, through its Twitter account, said that Eduardo Macia Alonzo, alias "Marshall ", another of Colon’s gang leaders, arrested in an Amador luxury home in an earlier intelligence operation was also transferred to What has been nicknamed the Panama Alcatraz.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/drug-capo-swops-luxury-for-panama-alcatraz

[Moderator_02]

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Panama’s ongoing history of narco-politics

Narco bosses heading for El Coco penal center

Posted 12/04/2019

Stories continue to circulate about the connections of Panama politicians to a recently arrested drug lord, living openly in luxury homes in Clayton and Punta Pacifico and President Varela sidesteps questions saying:  “name names”.

,La Prensa writer  and lawyer, Rodrigo Noriega, has examined the history of the involvement  of authorities  in  narco-trade in the last 100 years

The first time I found a historical narco-political trail in the republican life of the Isthmus of Panama was when I was exploring the newspaper library of the University of Panama. I found in the memoirs of the Ministry of Government and Justice of the second decade of the last century, a naive mention of an official who had participated in some operation to capture opium one of the popular smokes of the time.

The official, very proud of his action, wrote to the minister informing him of how local politicians had mediated to avoid the operation. I searched anxiously in the record of the ministry, to see if the official of yore had been dismissed, but to my surprise, that information was not in that document.

Army pot growers In  World War II, the American soldiers stationed at the Clayton base had marijuana plantations, which were regularly destroyed, but for some reason, Cannabis was not lacking.

The well-known plantings in Isla del Rey, which became world famous as "Panama Red" were followed by other marijuana plantations on the island of Coiba, which were harvested by the prisoners and subsequently sold by some contacts of the commanders of the National Guard.

Each government of the Panamanian democratic period has had its scandals linked to the narco-politics.

The name of José Antonio Remón Cantera and his assassination on January 2, 1955, has always been surrounded by the breath of an "adjustment of accounts" or the collection of old drug trafficking quarrels. The linking of the uniformed with drug trafficking is probably 100 years, from the opium dens to the modern drug trafficking logistics, none of these activities would be possible without a degree of complicity or participation of the Public Force.

Each government of the democratic period has had its scandals linked to the rugged issue. For example, how many millions of dollars in cash were seized in the Edicano printing press during Guillermo Endara's government? How much did José Castrillón Enao donate to Perez Balladares' presidential campaign? Funds from the FARC in Panama during the government of Mireya Moscoso?, what happened with Inspector Franklin Brewster and with the funds of David Murcia, in the government of Martín Torrijos?, and what has happened with a large number of high-ranking officials of all the security forces detained for links with drug trafficking?

Colombia produces more than a thousand tons of cocaine annually. There are no exact figures of how many of these tons pass through Panama. The average annual catch of the last decade has been around 50 tonnes. With each capture come arrests and cautions of assets. Trapped cocaine moves by car, by container, by boat, by human mules, and even by airplanes. In vain, prisons are filled with people who had their stomachs loaded with tablets with drugs, or who lined their bodies or prepared to load luggage with drugs.

It does not make sense to capture these people at the Tocumen airport or at the ports of entry if proper follow-up is not done to find the next link in the narco-chain. Once, the police proudly displayed the arrest of two foreigners who came with suitcases loaded with cash, with the mission of laundering them in the local bank. It would have been so easy to follow up to know that the bank, casino, hotel, law firm and other substitutes were going to facilitate money laundering.

Any  tour of our provinces runs into farms, beach houses or mountain homes that are properties of politicians and others, without who a decent trade or a family business that would have justified so much prosperity. To the embezzlements that were never investigated, to the traffic of influences that was never regulated, or to the sale of laws, administrative decisions or judicial decisions that built bad fortunes everywhere, it was natural that drug trafficking was added.

The Panamanian State abandoned public services and the presence in the streets of officials other than the police. For more than 30 years, the red zones have been fertile ground for all types of crime. The State has become an accomplice of gangs and drug traffickers. The Punta Coco prison exists because all the other prisons are penetrated by corruption. Some of the heavy weapons that have fallen into the hands of the gangs come from the armories of the security forces. Even Austrian pistols, manufactured for the Panamanian security forces, have ended up in the hands of third parties, who use them with pride despite the official shield that decorates them.

The complaint of the US feds and the local police was that the Colonists had changed the logistics of drug trafficking.

Who are the mediators between the State and the community? Deputies and corregimiento representatives act as intermediaries that facilitate the supply of public goods, jobs, scholarships, housing, food bags, and other benefits. The gangs and narcos seek the protection of political power to neutralize the power of the State. In other words, narcopolitics is an action by which public servants betray the State to serve other purposes. As with all forms of corruption, the State always loses.

In 1993 when I arrived in the United States for my postgraduate studies, I met a friendly Puerto Rican family who were mostly police officers. From time to time, they told me their stories of combat with urban gangs, which dominated the organized crime of a part of the North of the United States. They talked to me about how hard the Jamaican or Dominican gangs were. I was surprised when they informed me that the hardest among the hard guys came from Colón. I thought that this was one more anecdote of the Panamanians in the world, but I came back to find the subject of the Colonist gangs in Chicago. The complaint of the federal and local police was that the Colonists had changed the logistics of drug trafficking. I was presented with a ploy in which borrowed babies were used that were taken by their alleged mothers, by plane from Panama, and the drug was carried in liquid form in bottles.

More sophisticated versions of this story began to be told in Spain and the Netherlands. The Colonists improved the logistics of drug trafficking and control much of the coca that enters Europe.

98% of the Colonists have nothing to do with this, but the way in which the Panamanian state has allowed the illicit businesses to take an important part of the Atlantic coast will make it very difficult to remove Colon from the narcos. And with the province of Colon goes Chiriquí, Los Santos and the rest of the country. This suggests that only the honesty and integrity of the authorities, private companies and civil society can defeat narcopolitics. Otherwise, we will be converting  into another version of Mexico

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/media-watch/panamas-ongoing-history-of-narco-politicsn-1

[Moderator_02]

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Narco "King Midas" brought to Panama

Posted 24/04/2019

Martín Beltrán Delgadillo The man authorities claim was the link between the notorious Sinaloa Cartel and the FARC's 30th Front.  was extradited from Mexico to Panama  on Tuesday,

 Major Gloria Silva, head of the Interpol Panama Office, said that the case dates back to 2013  and involves the seizure of two and a half tons of cocaine, as well as the  $500,000 and 17 cars.

Panama issued an arrest warrant for the accused in an  international operation "Aguila",

Beltran fled Panama and settled in Costa Rica and later moved to his native Mexico. The transfer of the drug was headed by

Leonel Pérez Castro, alias "Richard", leader of the insurgent group "Frente 30" of the FARC. The drug was shipped in speedboats from Colombia to the Panama Pacific coast and then sent by land to Central and North America, by collaborators of the organization, mainly  Colombians and Mexicans. Beltran was in charge of receiving it in Panama and placing it in the hands of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.

Beltran was considered by the authorities to be the "King Midas" of the FARC because he was the "great funder" of the group from the income generated from the sale of drugs.

Beltran was in charge of coordinating everything related to the receipt, payment, and shipping the drug to Mexico. The authorities have surveillance photos of March 20, 2014, and June 6, 2014, where members of the organization are seen in Mazda and Nissan cars where cocaine shipments were confiscated.

For 18 months the Panamanian authorities investigated the drug trafficking network and in 2014 they began with the arrests of over 50   members,

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/narco-quotking-midasquot-brought-to-panama-1

[Moderator_02]

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Capos in Punta Coco planned top cop killing

Varela claims blackmail

Posted 26/04/2019

 Punta Coco prison on Isla Del Rey, viewed as Panama’s Alcatraz  houses the country's most  dangerous criminals  including  capos who threatened him and wanted to contaminate the National Police. said President Juan Carlos Varela on Friday, April 26

 He also revealed that one of the detainees in Punta Coco wanted to assassinate a commissioner of the National Police with the surname Valdés.

The president last year indicated that the prison is part of its security strategy to combat crimes in the country.

Most of the 13 detainees in Punta Coco are allegedly linked to the Úsuga clan in Colombia and the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, according to Panamanian law enforcement authorities.

Seven of the prisoners were captured abroad for allegedly trafficking the drug from Colombia to Panama and from Isthmian territory to Mexico for the Mexican cartel of Sinaloa.

Varela made the comments in Cabuya, in Panama West where he gave an order to proceed for the construction of a vehicular bridge.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/capos-in-punta-coco-planned-top-cop-killing

[Moderator_02]

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Albrook Drugs Haul

Posted 27/04/2019

A police raid on a warehouse in Albrook Commercial Parkin Altos de Curundú. on Saturday, April 27  uncovered 2547 drug packs hidden in two tanks used for recycling oil from vehicles and heavy equipment.  

Police say they have identified the international narco-traffickers behind the haul.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/albrook-raid-nets-2547-drug-packs-1

[Moderator_02]

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Narco’s  Lamborghini and Porsche for auction

Posted 28/04/2019

On Tuesday, and a Porsche are among cars seized in an anti-drug operation that will be auctioned on Tuesday, April 30.

Panama’s Directorate of Assets Seized of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) reported that it will carry out the first public auction of vehicles seized as a result of drug trafficking.  

The cars that will be auctioned that day are related to the operation code-named “El Gallero” The investigation began in October 2016, when anti-drug operations, monitoring, surveillance, seizures of drugs, weapons, real estate and vehicles were carried out including at the Los Santos mayor’s office.

The models that will be auctioned are a Lamborghini, model Huracán 2016, a Volkswagen Coupé 2015, a Porsche Macan S 2015 and a Peugeot SUV 2011.

The bidding and embossing will take place in the mezzanine of the PH Republic building, formerly  the Institute for the Training and Use of Human Resources, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon.pm

Criminal assets
The MEF said in  a press release, that between  2017 and 2018 a total of eight real estate assets, two vessels, as well as furniture and pictorial works of national and foreign artists,  have been auctioned.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/narcos-lamborghini-and-porsche-for-auction

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$90 million drug seizure in Colon

EACH package would fetch $60,000 on the European drug market

Posted 18/05/2019

Panama’s   National Aeronaval Service (Senan)  seized 1,517 packages of suspected alleged drugs worth $90 million on the international market inside a container in the Port of Cristobal in the Province of Colon.

The Europe bound cargo had been reported as sacks of coal but the illicit packages . were hidden inside 46 black cases.

The drug’s final destination was  Turkey, via  Rotterdam, Holland. According to the Drug Prosecutor of Colón and Guna Yala Eduardo Rodríguez. on  the arrival of the drug in Europe, the value per package would be $60,000  in the market of the criminal organizations linked to drug trafficking."

According to Senan  Deputy Commissioner Luis Rodríguez, said He stressed that this is the 27th successful operation of the Aeronaval service in 2019 and the largest achieved to date.

The force w Senan has confiscated a total of 12,853 packages of illicit substances, in  14 vessels and apprehended 33 suspects.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/90-million-drug-seizure-in-colon

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Colombia, Panama, US Block Maritime Narcotrafficking Routes

Interagency forces seized more than 2 tons of cocaine off Colombia’s Pacific coast.

Myriam Ortega/Diálogo | 6 June 2019

Capacity Building

The April 4 combined operation between the Colombian Navy and U.S. Southern Command’s JIATF South, led to the seizure of 1 ton of cocaine, two speedboats, and the arrest of six criminals. (Photo: Colombian Navy)

In two combined operations, Colombia, Panama, and the United States seized more than 2 tons of cocaine off Colombia’s Pacific coast in early April. Interoperability work among the Colombian Navy, U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF South), and the Panamanian National Air and Naval Service (SENAN, in Spanish) made the seizure possible.

According to the Colombian Navy, the cocaine seized is estimated at $67 million in the international market. Interagency forces also confiscated a semisubmersible, two speedboats, and captured nine criminals — seven Colombians and two Ecuadoreans — dealing a major blow to transnational criminal groups.

“Cooperation between neighboring and regional countries is fundamental to counter transnational organized crime [TOC],” Major Jonathan Ali, an officer of SENAN’s National Intelligence Directorate, told Diálogo. “TOC is a changing phenomenon that increasingly endangers peace for communities of the hemisphere.”

Transshipment at sea

JIATF South’s intelligence team spotted suspicious activities between two speedboats off Colombia’s Pacific coast near Malpelo Island, which led to the first operation, on April 4. “U.S. air platform
personnel reported an alleged narcotrafficking event in progress; two individuals were making a cargo transfer at sea, with packages believed to be narcotics,” Colombian Navy Captain Fernando Antonio Díaz Flórez, commander of patrol vessel ARC 20 de Julio, assigned to the Pacific Naval Force, told Diálogo.

A Pacific Naval Force unit interdicted a first vessel and its crew, three Colombians, which was returning to Colombia’s coast with fuel and communications equipment. U.S. Coast Guard ship USCGC Tornado intercepted the second speedboat with its crew of two Colombians and one Ecuadorean, along with 1,108 kilograms of cocaine on board.

“It was a Flipper-type speedboat named Virgen del Carmen, without a license plate or documents,” said Capt. Díaz. “[There were] 26 packages on board, which seemed to contain drugs because of their shape and characteristics.”

The Colombian Navy and Panama’s SENAN intercepted a semisubmersible carrying more than 900 kg of cocaine, April 5. (Photo: Panamanian National Air and Naval Service)

Semisubmersible detained

On April 5, security forces conducted another operation off Colombia’s Pacific coast. Units of the Pacific Naval Force and SENAN received information from JIATF South to intercept a semisubmersible.

“U.S. air platform personnel detected a semisubmersible navigating west from Malpelo,” Capt. Díaz said. “The [Navy ship] ARC Punta Ardita sent a Panamanian [SENAN] speedboat that was operating with this unit to intercept the suspicious vessel.”

Two Colombians and one Ecuadorean manned the vessel, which carried 42 bags containing 917 kg of cocaine. Authorities sent the semisubmersible and its crew, as well as the two speedboats and criminals arrested in the prior operation, to Tumaco, Nariño department, to be brought before the Attorney General’s Office.

Interagency work

Authorities carried out both operations within the framework of maritime cooperation agreements between Colombia, the United States, and Panama to counter narcotrafficking. Partner nations also benefit from international initiatives such as the Orion III Naval Campaign that ended April 15, and sought to establish narcotrafficking containment lines in Colombian national waters with the participation of regional countries. 

“International cooperation has  reached among other achievements, cooperation in the operational and intelligence areas,” said Maj. Ali. “This allows for proper scenarios to face threats, advice focused on the efficiency and effectiveness of available resources, and a cooperative initiative that welcomes partner nation forces and blocks the threat of narcotrafficking, therefore building trust.”

“The importance of interagency work can be seen in different aspects,” Capt. Díaz concluded. “As information is handled, it’s important to interact with the data that each one manages in order to create solid information which leads to materializing efforts that in turn lead to neutralizing the scourge of narcotrafficking.”

 

https://dialogo-americas.com/en/articles/colombia-panama-us-block-maritime-narcotrafficking-routes