President Meets with Security Chiefs in Boquete

[Keith Woolford]

Yesterday morning President Varela met with his various heads of security here in Boquete. The dining room at the Panamonte Hotel can be seen in the photos.

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, 29 of November of 2017  |      Redacción   |   Prensa

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The Security Council headed by the President of the Republic, Juan Carlos Varela, the Minister of Security, Alexis Bethancourt and directors of security forces gathered today 29 November  in Boquete reports:

That due to the events that have occurred in San Miguel, Chilibre and Punta Burica in recent days, which have caused the loss of human lives and injured persons, it has been identified that these acts of violence come from organized drug trafficking groups.

In Panama, the number of homicides keeps downward tendency and is the second safest country in the region, so we renew our commitment in the fight against drug trafficking.

For more than a year, the country and the countries of the region have been warned of the impact that the significant increase in the cultivation of hectares of drugs planted in Colombia can have, and the existing remnant of the dissidence of members of the FARC that they have not embraced the peace process, and according to intelligence data, they number more than 800 members, which has caused production to have tripled.

According to International Intelligence Agencies it is estimated that the production of drugs is around 1,000 metric tons per year, just as the activities to distribute these illicit substances have become more dangerous for those who engage in this illicit business because they are dissident subjects of the irregular armed groups of Colombia.

This situation has generated the development of local gangs that added to the international drug cartels, has the direct responsibility of more than 70% of the homicides that occur in the country.

November has been a record month in seizures of drugs in Panama with more than (9) tons and everything indicates that we will be this year before a new record in seizures. So far in 2017, 64 tons have been seized.

Panama has a frontal fight against drug trafficking, as evidenced by recent seizures and different operations against drug heads.

The Government of the Republic of Panama began massive operations in the islands of Las Perlas, Darién, Coasts of Colón and the Pacific to stop this problem that is causing mourning and pain to Panamanian families, as well as special groups to support the judicialisation of the different criminal gangs that engage in drug trafficking at their highest level, as has been done in recent years.

We call on the population in risk areas to collaborate with the authorities in the investigation and support the prevention programs implemented by the Government of the Republic of Panama.

We give security to the population that we will find those responsible for these homicides and the people in the gangs responsible for these events.