Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 29, 2022 Moderators Share Posted April 29, 2022 Quote Four security personnel among 32 arrested in drug bust Posted 28/04/2022 A total of 32 people, including three police and one National Sea and Air Service (Senan) were arrested on Thursday during Operation "Metro" carried out by the National Police and the Public Ministry. The operation was aimed at dismantling a criminal group dedicated to drug trafficking, for which 30 raids were carried out simultaneously in the provinces of Panama, West Panama (Veracruz) and Coclé. The details of the raids were reported by the Attorney General, Javier Caraballo, the First Higher Prosecutor for Drugs, Marta Barrios, and the Director of Judicial Investigation, Commissioner Carlos Valencia. "We are not going to allow these units to tarnish the good image of the Institution, we are purging," said Commissioner Valencia, confirming that the uniformed officers apprehended are two 2nd Corporals. and a second lieutenant". This group had modus operandi, telephone communications, and meetings to receive the drugs coming from Colombia, through speedboats and fishing boats. They hid the drug between San Carlos and Chame. Boat owners, fishermen, police and members of the Bagdad gang made up the group dedicated to drug trafficking, whose investigation began in May 2020. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/four-security-personnel-among-32-arrested-in-drug-bust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted April 30, 2022 Moderators Share Posted April 30, 2022 Quote Arms cache heading for Panama City seized Posted 29/04/2022 A dozen AK-47s and 9,499 rounds of ammunition destined for the Clan del Golfo that operates in the border area between Panama and Colombia were seized by the National Police during a Thursday raid in the El Caimito sector, of El Higo, in the district of La Mesa de Veraguas. Sources linked to the investigations revealed that one person was arrested in the operation, and three kilos of drugs and 17 chargers were seized. According to the investigations, the weapons entered through the border with Costa Rica and were transported to Veraguas, but their final destination was Panama City, where they would be delivered to members linked to the Clan del Golfo, a Colombian criminal group. The head of the Veraguas police, Deputy Commissioner Eduardo Arosemena, said that the weapons and the detained person were placed under the orders of the Public Ministry for investigation. On the same day, in “Operation Metro, carried out in the provinces of Colón, Coclé, the district of La Chorrera, and the corregimiento of Veracruz, 32 people were arrested, including three policemen, linked to a network dedicated to providing logistical support to Colombian drug traffickers. The network received the drugs from speedboats and hid them in San Carlos and Chame. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/arms-cache-heading-for-panama-city-seized Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 5, 2022 Moderators Share Posted May 5, 2022 Quote 61.1 tons of cocaine seized off Isla Grande Posted 04/05/2022 Agents of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) and The Colombian Navy seized 6.1 million tons of cocaine on the coast of Isla Grande, in the province of Colón on Monday, May 2, The Colombian entity said that the seizure represents an economic loss for drug trafficking groups operating in the region of $207 million. "In this way we prevent more than 15 million doses from reaching the international market", said Ibis Manuel Luna, commander of the Task Force against Drug Trafficking. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/611-tons-of-cocaine-seized-off-isla-grande Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 10, 2022 Moderators Share Posted May 10, 2022 Quote Panama drug seizures in used as evidence in US drug trial Posted 09/05/2022 Among the evidence held by the US prosecutor's office against the recently extradited to the United States, Dario Antonio Usuga-David, alias 'Otoniel', leader of the Clan del Golfo of Colombia, are two drug seizures made in the Caribbean waters of Guna Yala , Panama. On May 5, Otoniel was transferred on a DEA Drug Enforcement Agency plane to Brooklyn, New York, where he pleaded not guilty in the Eastern District to alleged drug trafficking crimes. and for leading the organization of the Colombian Self-Defense Forces (AUC), considered a terrorist group. In Otoniel's file that appears in Court, there is a note prepared by the prosecution that advances some evidence collected against the leader of the Clan del Golfo, who maintained a significant interference in Panama, specifically in the AtlanticAmong them, they refer to a seizure of cocaine in Guna Yala on April 13, 2021, of 1,365 kilos of drugs that were transported in two speedboats on the coast of Panama. The second shipment attributed to the Clan points to the seizure made on April 14, 2021, of 2,609 kilos of drugs that were transported in a speedboat on the Atlantic coast of Panama. Prosecutor Breon Peace provided photographs of other seizures made by the Colombian authorities of ammunition and high-caliber weapons belonging to the Clan, frequently used to impose control of the dominated territory. The links are known so far of the Clan del Golfo in Panama outline the 'Fisher' operation that in December 2021 dismantled an alleged logistical support group of the Clan. The operation seized $10 million in cash hidden in a house in Colón, farms, properties, and the arrest of 51 people, most of them residents of the Colón coast. The group "coordinated the receipt of large amounts of merchandise from Colombia, stored it and then, under the Clan's guidelines, delivered it to groups with which they did business." Attorney General Javier Caraballo described at the time activities very similar to those compiled by the United States prosecutor's office, which distinguish the Clan, such as the collection of taxes per kilo of drugs from those who use territory under their domain to traffic, store or send. US indictment The indictment includes the background of alias 'Otoniel': “He belonged to the paramilitary organization dedicated to trafficking cocaine to the United States known as the Urabeños, based in Urabá, Colombia. The drug passed through Central America and Mexico to its final destination, the United States,”.In addition to drug transportation, the authorities accuse the organization of other crimes such as kidnapping, homicide, and acts of violence that they used to collect drug debts, instill fear and expand their territorial domain, promote and improve their prestige, reputation, and position of the organization. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-drug-seizures-in-used-as-evidence-in-us-drug-trial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted May 25, 2022 Moderators Share Posted May 25, 2022 Quote Security personnel aided dismantled criminal network The director of Senan, Jeremías Urieta Posted 24/05/2022 A joint operation between Panama and Colombia managed to dismantle a criminal network linked to the Clan del Golfo, from which more than 800 kilos of cocaine, and 1,500 ammunition were seized and which maintained a presence on the coast of Darién, for the transfer of drugs to Central America. and the United States. Operation Polux began in 2019 when it was detected that an agent from the National Air and Naval Service (Senan) had contacts with a group of Colombian dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), now associated with the Clan del Golfo, who moved drug shipments to the Darién border and to the coasts of the province of Veraguas. The director of Senan, Jeremías Urieta, said that seven Panamanians and one Colombian were arrested here. In Colombia, the arrest of 12 people was achieved, including the alleged leader of the criminal network Humberto Reina Yepes (alias El Profe). According to the investigations, the Senan official participated in the coordination and logistical support to the boats with drugs, which were delivered from fuel, water, and food. In addition, he contacted the owners of other ships that helped bring the drug to the coast. Urieta explained that the criminal network also used Coiba Island to hide drug shipments and then send them to the United States. In Colombia, 11 buildings, five businesses, nine vehicles, a boat, and 10 bank accounts were seized The joint investigation revealed that the group sometimes used submersibles to transport the drug. This is the third criminal gang linked to the Clan del Golfo dismantled in Panamanian territory The first of them, the Damasco operation, started in the year 2019, in which the Humility and Purity (HP) gang was dismantled, which provided support to the Gulf Clan, among whose members there was an official of the Judicial Branch. Then, in the Fisher operation that began in 2019, the arrest of 57 people linked to a network that operated on the coasts of the province of Colón linked to the Clan del Golfo was achieved. This group seized $10 million in a residence. In the Fisher operation, the participation of officials from security forces who provided logistical support to circumvent the surveillance of the Senan patrol boats was also detected. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/security-personnel-aided-dismantled-criminal-network Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted June 6, 2022 Moderators Share Posted June 6, 2022 Quote Two cocaine-wigged women arrested at Panama airport Posted 05/06/2022 Two Colombian women were arrested Friday at Tocumen international airport when they tried to travel to Spain with cocaine hidden under their wigs Panama drug prosecutor, Xiomara Rodríguez, reported the arrest, at the air terminal, of a Colombian woman from a flight from her country to Madrid. According to the official version, the police approached this person after suspecting his hairstyle. After doing a scanner test, the agents found that between the braids of her natural hair and a wig that she was wearing, she hid drug tablets attached to her head. Rodríguez said that the woman was wearing "68 cylindrical black wrappers with white powder (inside)" under her wig. This form of drug trafficking is "unprecedented" in Panama, Rodríguez added, in a video posted on the Twitter account of the Panama Attorney General's Office. Hours later, the prosecutor's office announced the arrest of "a second woman" with "67 packages containing suspected drugs" hidden under another wig. She also came from Colombia and was destined for Spain. The two women will be brought before a court of guarantees for alleged international drug trafficking Within the curious modalities of drug trafficking, in 2021 the Panamanian police caught, on the perimeter of a prison, the "narcogato", a feline that carried cocaine, crack and marijuana tied to its neck, presumably to introduce it to the prison. Panama is the gateway to Central America for the drug that goes from South America, mainly Colombia, the world's largest producer of cocaine, to the United States, the world's largest consumer of the drug. Central American authorities have warned of a significant increase in drug trafficking to Europe mainly through the Caribbean ports of the region. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/two-cocaine-wigged-women-arrested-at-panama-airport Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted June 8, 2022 Moderators Share Posted June 8, 2022 Quote 9-year stopover for Colombian drug smuggler Posted 06/06/2022 A Colombian citizen who tried to smuggle cocaine hidden under her wig during a stopover at Tocumen International Airport on Friday, May 3, got her stay in Panama extended when a guarantee judge sentenced her to 9 years in prison in a plea deal between the Public Ministry, represented by the prosecutor Leonel Urriola and the public defender Yeny Saldaña June 5. In addition, the confiscation of 1,400 euros which she carried was at the time of her arrest when she was preparing to travel to Spain was imposed as an accessory penalty. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/9-year-stopover-for-colombian-drug-smuggler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted June 15, 2022 Moderators Share Posted June 15, 2022 Quote Drug seizures outstrip last year Posted 13/06/2022 Drug seizures from January to May of this year outstripped those of the same period in 2021. According to official reports, in the first 5 months of 2022, between the National Police, the National Border Service, and the National Aeronaval Service, 57,045 packages of illicit substances have been seized, that is, 8,123 more packages than in the same period last year. The drug with the highest seizure rate is cocaine, with 40,568 packages. Then comes marijuana, with 16,366. The data from the security forces also details that, of the packages seized, 63 are cocaine base paste and another 50 packages are yet to determine what type of illicit substance they are. Last year, security forces seized 128 tons of drugs. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/drug-seizures-outstrip-last-year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted July 4, 2022 Moderators Share Posted July 4, 2022 Quote Record drug seizures predicted for the year Posted 03/07/2022 The Minister of Security, Manuel Pino, projects a historic figure in drug seizures for the year 2022.The expectations are placed on the 65 tons registered at the end of the first semester and the 1.7 tons presented on the first day of the second semester. "Everything points to the fact that we are going to beat last year's record figure," Pino stressed during the installation this Saturday of the "Panamá Centro" Stars tournament, which aims to achieve peaceful coexistence in the communities, and keep children away from crime. Pino said that next month they will receive a maritime patrol plane, and more boats, among other security elements to reinforce the operations that are about to be carried out. "What is wanted is that every day we can provide security to our maritime and border territory because the risks come from outside," he said. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/record-drug-seizures-predicted-for-the-year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted August 15, 2022 Moderators Share Posted August 15, 2022 Quote 1,900 kilos of cocaine found in Europe-bound container Posted 15/08/2022 The National Aeronaval Service (Senan) seized 1,900 kilos of cocaine inside a container on a ship from Turbo, Colombia, and destined for Slovenia, in central Europe. Drug prosecutor Xiomar Rodríguez explained that Senan agents, during a routine inspection, detected anomalies in the seals of a container on a ship that arrived at a port in the province of Colón. The agents during a verification procedure located 64 bags containing packages, whose content is presumed to be cocaine. The drug prosecutor's office is investigating whether the container was contaminated with the drug in Panamanian ports or if it was already inside when it left Colombia. Senan commissioner, Rafael Callejas, said that during this year 85 operations have been carried out in which a total of 63,000 kilos of drugs have been seized so far. The Minister of Security, Juan Pino, has pointed out that the coasts of Colón are a very active route for drug trafficking, due to the presence of the Clan del Golfo that sends drugs through this route. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/1900-kilos-of-cocaine-found-in-europe-bound-container Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted August 15, 2022 Moderators Share Posted August 15, 2022 Quote Fiberglass semi-submersibles present new threat in drug war Posted 15/08/2022 A fiberglass, semi-submersible transporting 625 kilos of cocaine, captured last Wednesday, August 11, in Caribbean waters, reinforces the authorities' theory that this area of the country is one of the most desirable gateways for drug trafficking. The Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, warned that the situation puts the entire coastline of the province of Colón at risk, where 60 tons of drugs were seized in 2021, and so far this year, they have seized. 24 tons. The minister also gave clues as to what could be behind this seizure. "All this drug comes from the Gulf of Urabá (Colombia), and the drug is from the Clan del Golfo," he said The semi-submersible was detected by members of the National Border Service (Senafront) in the sector known as Barco Hundido, in El Porvenir, Guna Yala region. There were three Colombians on the boat. It is the first time that the public force has detected a vessel of this type in the Caribbean, said Oriel Ortega, head of Senafront. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/fiberglass-semi-submersibles-present-new-threat-in-drug-war Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted August 25, 2022 Moderators Share Posted August 25, 2022 Quote 43 arrests in police raids including drug lord’s wife Posted 24/08/2022 The wife and brother of drug lord Eduardo Macea, alias Marshall, and a local elected representative were among 43 people captured by officials from the Drug Prosecutor's Office and the National Police in Operation "Fire", which has been taking place since dawn on Wednesday, August 24, in the provinces of Colón, Panama, and Panama West, The people arrested so far, are allegedly linked to a criminal organization dedicated to receiving drug shipments from Colombia, which were then introduced in containers at ports located in the city of Colón. In the operation, a person considered Marshall's right-hand man, who was in charge of coordinating the shipments, as well as a representative of the district of Costa Arriba de Colón, was also arrested. According to the National Aeronaval Service, it is the local representative of Isla Grande. Cash, drugs, and communication equipment used by the criminal network were also located in the operation. Police authorities highlighted that some 40 search proceedings were carried out against a structure linked to national and international drug trafficking. It was reported that during the operation, an organization dedicated to receiving large shipments of illicit substances from Colombia, using the Atlantic coast for storage, custody of equipment, and others was dismantled. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/43-arrests-in-police-raids-including-drug-lords-wife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted August 30, 2022 Moderators Share Posted August 30, 2022 Quote Drugs seized in Panama head to US for incineration Posted 29/08/2022 Some 42.1 tons of drugs seized in Panama were transferred, to the United States for proper incineration on Monday, August 29. The United States provided a plane from its Air Force, at no cost to Panama, to move the cargo. The illicit substance was guarded by an agent from the Directorate of Judicial Investigation and a drug prosecutor from Panama, said the Minister of Public Security, Juan Manuel Pino reiterating that this is done to avoid damage to the environment caused by the traditional open burning of these substances. He said that traditionally in each drug burning the country spends up to $200,000 and employs about 350 officials. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/drugs-seized-in-panama-head-to-us-for-incineration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted August 31, 2022 Moderators Share Posted August 31, 2022 Quote Clandestine vaccination plea deal nets 4 years Posted 30/08/2022 The defense of Denise Vega and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor reached an effective collaboration agreement in the case of clandestine vaccination in Coco del Mar. This agreement establishes 48 months in prison and disqualification from public functions reports TVN. However, the agreement will not be effective until Vega testifies in a trial against Matías Pérez Escudero, who was the person who applied the drug, and Celine de Esses, who allegedly took Vega to the site. The clandestine vaccination against COVID-19 took place in June 2021, when the first doses of vaccines were applied to priority groups. Prosecutor Itzel Koo said that she is on the trail of a fourth person who was the one who collected and raised the list of those who participated in the day. Vega is the landlord of the office where the vaccination day took place. Koo said that it was possible to establish that what was placed on the people who attended these clandestine days did not correspond to vaccines and the vaccination cards were false. The former magistrate of the Court, Jerónimo Mejía, Denise Vega's lawyer, did not speak to the national press about the results of the hearing. Matías Pérez Escudero is detained in the case and charged with the crimes of fraud and illegal exercise of the profession. The scandal came to light after a journalistic investigation that uncovered one of the clandestine vaccination days in places in the San Francisco corregimiento . https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/clandestine-vaccination-plea-deal-nets-4-years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundageba Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 (edited) 19 hours ago, Moderator_03 said: https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/drugs-seized-in-panama-head-to-us-for-incineration 2011 Panama reportedly spent 100 million dollars on two incinerators and one portable. Possibly that purchase did not go through? I don't know. It does seem curious to save 42 tons of cocaine. Over 80,000 pounds of pure cocaine !!. Ponder that for a moment. When did the USA get in the business of importing huge quantities of hard narcotic for incineration? https://www.thepanamablog.com/incinerators-purchased-for-the-destruction-of-illegal-drugs-in-panama/ Edited August 31, 2022 by Brundageba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 3, 2022 Moderators Share Posted September 3, 2022 Quote Sentencing deal in drug bust nets 5-year jail terms for two Posted 02/09/2022 During the hearing on the application of precautionary measures, the Prosecutor's Office reached a sentence agreement with two of the 41 arrested in Operation Fuego. Doctor Virgilio Córdoba and Roberto Henry, the latter being linked to the criminal network through allegedly sustained wiretaps with members of the organization will spend five years behind bars for the crimes of corruption of a public official and conspiracy to commit drug-related crimes. On Friday it is expected that the defense attorneys will present their objections to the requests for preventive detention made by the Prosecutor's Office for the rest of those investigated. According to the investigation initiated in 2019, the members of the criminal network controlled the itineraries of the containers that entered the port of Cristóbal, in the province of Colón, to send drugs to Europe. The network allegedly had the collaboration of port employees, lawyers, and a member of the National Police who alerted them about checkpoints and operations. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/sentencing-deal-in-drug-bust-nets-5-year-jail-terms-for-two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 5, 2022 Moderators Share Posted September 5, 2022 Quote Two convictions, 22 provisional detentions in drug bust Posted 04/09/2022 Operation Fuego (fire) on August 24 in Panama, Colon, and West Panama when 41 people were arrested resulted in 22 provisional detentions,12 house arrests, five periodic notifications, and two convictions. The investigation by the Specialized Prosecutor for Drug-Related Crimes uncovered a criminal network allegedly dedicated to drug trafficking to the United States and Europe through the contamination of containers that arrived at ports in the province of Colón. In the hearing of guarantees, which lasted 11 days, Judge Janina Mosquera considered the imputation of charges for conspiracy to commit drug-related crimes, money laundering, corruption of public servants, and forgery of documents. During the hearing, two sentences of 60 months in prison were achieved through a sentence agreement for Dr. Virgilio Córdoba, for the comm corruption of public officials, and for Roberto Henry, for conspiracy to commit drug-related crimes. According to the investigation that began in 2019, members of the network controlled the itineraries of the containers that entered the port of Cristóbal, in Colón. The network allegedly had the collaboration of port employees, lawyers, and a member of the National Police who alerted them about checkpoints and operations. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/two-convictions-22-provisional-detentions-in-drug-bust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 8, 2022 Moderators Share Posted September 8, 2022 Quote Former drug prosecutor facing action over release of traffickers Posted 07/09/2022 The Third Liquidator Court of Criminal Cases has initiated declared criminal action against the former Drug Prosecutor, Milagros Valdés, prescribed for the alleged corruption of public servants reports La Prensa. The case dates back to 2010, when Eva Lorentz, the former head of Human Resources of the Public Ministry, and Valdés were accused of facilitating the release of four drug traffickers in the province of Los Santos. The alert about the release of the alleged drug traffickers was given by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which was monitoring a network that trafficked drugs along the coast of Azuero. This scandal led to the departure of the then Attorney General, Giuseppe Bonissi. The edict in which the decision is communicated was disclosed by the secretary of the court on August 31, for the notification of the parties. The Judicial Branch was asked if the criminal statute of limitations reaches other former Public Ministry officials and individuals investigated in this case, and it was reported that they are still in the notification process, so they could not provide details reports La Prensa. The investigation began on December 15, 2010. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/former-drug-prosecutor-facing-action-over-release-of-traffickers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 21, 2022 Moderators Share Posted September 21, 2022 Quote Police seize 1,400 packs of drugs destined for Finland The Public Ministry (MP) and the National Police of Panama seized Sunday a total of 1,400 packages of an unidentified drug destined for Helsinki, Finland. The packages were found inside a container in a port in the province of Panama Oeste. "Public Security agencies in 342 operations against drug trafficking have managed to seize more than 90 tons of drugs to date, in addition, 317 Panamanian citizens and 153 foreigners have been captured in these anti-drug operations," the MP highlighted on its social networks. Posted 19/09/2022 https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/police-seize-1400-packs-of-drugs-destined-for-finland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted October 1, 2022 Moderators Share Posted October 1, 2022 Quote Women who masterminded drug sales network detained Posted 30/09/2022 Two sisters and three other women, who led a network dedicated to the retail sale of drugs in the provinces of Panama and West Panama are in provisional detention. The group of 14, most of them women was dismantled by the National Police and Public Ministry officials on September 27, in Operation West22. They operated in the provinces of Panama and West Panama and had telephone communications as their modus operandi to coordinate all logistics for the sale, reception, distribution, custody, and security of illicit substances. Street sales According to the Public Ministry, the group was managed in a pyramidal structure, where two sisters appeared as leaders, it is presumed that they received the illicit substance from Patio Pinel, district of Santa Ana, and had a group in charge of making the deliveries to street vendors. The organization had been operating in both provinces for several years with a properly organized structure that allowed them to coordinate the business at different points in the La Chorrera district. At the hearing, the prosecutors Carlos Batista and Joseph Díaz presented to the judge of guarantees, Manuel Sánchez, the elements of conviction that the investigation began in January 2022, for which they requested the precautionary measure of provisional detention. It was only granted to five of those captured, including the two leaders of the criminal group. Bail of $3,000 was applied to three people, but they will remain under provisional detention until they comply with the payment, while the remaining six were ordered house arrest Prosecutor Batista will appeal the precautionary measures other than provisional detention. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/women-who-masterminded-drug-sales-network-detained-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted October 13, 2022 Moderators Share Posted October 13, 2022 Quote 28 arrested in four province drug sweep Posted 12/10/2022 The Drug and Illicit Association Prosecutor of the Attorney General's Office (PGN) with the support of the National Police apprehended some 28 suspects with the operations Arcángel and Water in the provinces of Los Santos, Herrera, Coclé, and Chiriquí, including two alleged ringleaders. With the Arcángel operation they dismantled a group to which they attribute crimes of illicit association to commit crimes, robbery, theft, and drug-related. In total, they captured 17 suspects, between the provinces of Herrera and Coclé. While with the Water operation they dismantled a criminal structure dedicated to the custody and distribution of drugs, through vessels coming from Colombia to Panama. The security forces apprehended some 11 suspects, including "Patrón" and "Viejo", presumed leaders. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/28-arrested-in-four-province-drug-sweep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted October 28, 2022 Moderators Share Posted October 28, 2022 Quote Three police lieutenants arrested in drug raid Posted 27/10/2022 Thursday by the Drug Prosecutor's Office together with the National Police in the provinces of Panama and Colon, in residences that were used as drug storage coves. The Minister of Security, Juan M. Pino, confirmed that the three lieutenants of the National Police, from the province of Colón, were linked the group dedicated to international drug trafficking. He added that they were low-ranking officers who were about to finish their police careers, but now they must face justice. This criminal group is linked to the storage and custody of illicit substances, using ports in both provinces as operating areas. The Drug Prosecutor's Office began the investigation on December 13, 2017, when it was revealed that this criminal group was engaged in international drug trafficking. In addition, they used residences equipped as coves, to avoid police surveillance. In addition, cash was located, hidden in slippers https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/three-police-lieutenants-arrested-in-drug-raid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 14, 2022 Moderators Share Posted November 14, 2022 Quote 919 Sweden-bound cocaine packets seized in Panama Posted 13/11/2022 The National Aeronaval Service of Panama (Senan) seized on Sunday 19 packages of cocaine destined for Sweden in a Pacific port terminal. The drug, an official source told EFE, was stored in 919 packages inside a container that was located in one of the patios of the port terminal. The container with the illicit substance "had Stockholm, Sweden as its destination port," said a Senan statement Senan highlighted that this year it has seized 78,638 packages, of which 13,720 were in containerized cargo. The Panamanian authorities pointed out that the use of containers to transport drugs is one of the booming modalities of transnational drug trafficking. In 2022, the dismantling of several syndicated groups, introducing the drug in containers in Panamanian ports, was reported. Public security forces in Panama have seized more than 100 tons of drugs this year, a record figure for the last 20 years, according to data from the Ministry of Security. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/919-sweden-bound-cocaine-packets-seized-in-panama-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 30, 2022 Moderators Share Posted November 30, 2022 Quote Panamanian in Dubai key player in busted super drug cartel Posted 30/11/2022 The Spanish Civil Guard and Europol on Monday dismantled a "super cartel" that controlled a third of the cocaine traffic that entered Europe with a Panamanian living in Dubai as one of the six "drug lords" who controlled and directed the criminal activities of the various cells. Spanish media identify him as Anthony Alfredo Martínez Meza, the person responsible for introducing the drug into the port of Manzanillo (Panama) and who maintained contact with the rest of the barons in the emirate. Martínez, according to the European authorities, was the connection to supply drugs to Europeans and who seemed to be off the radar of the Panamanian authorities. The name of Anthony Alfredo Martínez appears in the Public Registry as a director of various corporations reports La Estrella. One is Machina Supply International, Inc, created in 2009. He is also a director of JPM, Int, SA (2014) and Francisco Martínez, SA (2000), all based in the province of Colón and in which the named holds several management positions. In some, he shares management with other people who, in turn, have investments in the Atlantic sector of the country. The company owns a landlocked 9,000-meter farm in the province of Coclé, acquired for $1,000 in 2012 through a mortgagee. Some 13% of the drugs that leave Panamanian ports are destined for Saudi Arabia, a source from the National Aeronaval Service (Senan). The agent assured this medium that 95% of the drugs that arrive in Colón, from Colombia, leave through the ports and have 25% Belgium as their main destination, Rotterdam, the Netherlands 19%, Italy 13%, and Barcelona 6%, additional to Saudi Arabia, the emirate to which Dubai belongs. The Spanish Civil Guard, within the framework of the international police operation 'Desert Light', coordinated by Europol and in which police agencies from the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Dubai participated, managed to dismantle the super network of drug trafficking and apprehended 49 people, including the six drug lords, based in Dubai. International media identify the Bosnian Edin Gacanin, Zouhair Blekahir, Hoesny Ajaray, and Rabhioui Bourfa, the last three of North African descent, and the British Ryan James Hale as the bosses of e organization that established its base in these countries, coinciding with the location of the most important European ports, the gateway for drugs to Europe, and the destinations for drugs leaving Panama. Spanish authorities verified how Spain had become the headquarters of a cell of the criminal organization that introduced drugs through various ports and, had formed a complex corporate network of real estate investments in the Costa del Sol area. The actions of the European agencies and Dubai collapsed the logistical structure, represented by the groups responsible for the introduction of the drug in each country, as well as decapitating the organization. In Panama, the ports have become the safest route for traffickers, given the connections managed locally by two criminal groups that are in charge of receiving, moving, and protecting the merchandise while it is on Panamanian soil. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panamanian-in-dubai-key-player-in-busted-super-drug-cartel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted January 11, 2023 Moderators Share Posted January 11, 2023 Quote Panama ships 55.7 tons of seized drugs to the US Posted 10/01/2023 Panamanian authorities sent on Tuesday to the United States, a shipment of 55.7 tons of drugs for incineration the result of seizure by security forces during different operational actions. Juan Manuel Pino, Minister of Security, said that the decision to move the cocaine to the United States is to incinerate the drug that accumulates in the warehouses of the security forces to avoid the contamination caused every time the drug is burned to open sky. “We need to guarantee a healthy environment and this is a concrete action for the benefit of all”, he explained. It is the second time that drugs have been sent to the US, to be destroyed. Pino explained that at this moment there is an inter-institutional team that goes with the load, who will attest to the destruction. The minister affirmed that transporting the drug is free. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-ships-557-tons-of-seized-drugs-to-the-us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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