Panama, Prosecutors Office dismantles international drug trafficking and money laundering network
*Son of Congressman Raul Pineda turned out to be one the captured
*Experts assure that state officials are forming criminal structures shielded from power
*Narco-Politics will continue to be established as long as it maintains private financing
*Experts assure that state officials are forming criminal structures shielded from power
*Narco-Politics will continue to be established as long as it maintains private financing
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NewsTranscript
00:00The ghost of narco-politics has not left Panama.
00:03A recent operation involving a direct relative of a congressman has brought the topic of
00:07narco-politics back to the national debate.
00:10Our colleague Rekha Chandi Ramani tells us about it.
00:15Panamanian prosecutors dismantled an international network dedicated to drug trafficking and
00:20money laundering in the so-called Operation Jericho.
00:23The investigation lasted just over a year and resulted in the seizure of 1,592 packages
00:29of cocaine and almost $400,000, 41 raids and 28 people charged.
00:36Among those under investigation are Panamanians, Colombians and Mexicans.
00:43We were able to establish the existence of a criminal group that was engaged in international
00:48drug trafficking by introducing illicit substances through the Jericho area, by land, through
00:54backpackers, substance that was then moved to the area of San Miguelito, then camouflaged
01:01in double bottom of a vehicle to be taken out to the area of Costa Rica.
01:06According to the prosecutor's office, agents of the National Border Service were guarding
01:10the drugs in transit.
01:13On the other hand, one of those captured is Abraham Rico Pineda, son of the deputy of
01:18the National Assembly, Raul Pineda, member and director of the Democratic Revolutionary
01:23Party.
01:24The operation is also investigating a company linked to the deputy's entourage, which would
01:28have served as a vehicle for the alleged laundering of the illicit money.
01:36They do it from the moment they put money to finance structures, candidacies, that allow
01:42them to effectively have some level of incidence on national and political activities.
01:49That is a problem we are facing.
01:51At the national level, it has been questioned precisely that they have taken over instances
01:58such as the legislative body.
02:01Today we are facing precisely one of these questions, due to the linking of some deputies
02:07or relatives close to organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering.
02:18According to experts, Panama has gone from a phase in which organized crime recruited
02:23officials in the different entities to sustain its activities, to one in which the same officials
02:28have created their own criminal structures, shielded from power with privileges, tailor-made
02:33laws, pacts with judges and prosecutors, electoral clientelism, among others.
02:42This situation is worrying us, because of this suitable test, this inefficiency in being
02:49able to find out who are the real bosses behind these criminal organizations, to identify
02:55the names that have been infiltrated from the most modest bases of the people, up to
03:00a sub-director, director of a police or security institution, as well as ministers, and not
03:07only at a public level, but also at a commercial level, as these structures are linked.
03:16Although private electoral financing has been capped since the last elections, this is not
03:21complied with because the electoral tribunal itself has said that it has no way to audit
03:26and confirm the veracity of the reports submitted by the candidates, in addition to in-kind
03:31donations, which many campaigns omit to register.
03:35According to experts, as long as the key to private financing is not closed, narco-politics
03:40will continue to settle in the canal country.