Panama City, July 14 (EFE). – Panamanian authorities this Friday reported the seizure of 2.3 tons of drugs without specifying their contents from three operations on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of the Central American country. One of the caches was destined for the port of Valencia in Spain.
The National Aviation Service of Panama (Senan), in cooperation with the Special Prosecutor for Drug Crimes, have seized a total of 2,344 packages (about a kilo each) in the last 48 hours, Xiomara Rodríguez, Panamanian Prosecutor, told EFE. this department.
The first seizure occurred in Punta Mala, in the province of Los Santos on the Pacific coast, where a two-crew speedboat was intercepted, which The Financial said contained 52 packages, including “a total of 1,550 packages.” .
The packages would have to be taken to a controlled substances lab “to verify the type and weight” of the drug, Rodríguez noted.
The second operation was conducted in the province of Colón in the Panamanian Caribbean, where, according to a Senan statement, “40 packages of drugs hidden in the refrigeration panels of a container from Guayaquil, Ecuador” were found in transit through Panama bound for the Spanish port Valencia.
The third seizure, also in Punta Mala, occurred after a boat was intercepted by the Coast Guard, where, to lighten the weight, they threw 25 bags of drugs into the sea, later counting 754 packages of illegal substances.
When asked about the total value of the drug seized, prosecutor Rodríguez admitted that it was difficult to determine because “there are different values depending on the country where the possible sale of the illegal substance takes place, and each country has a different price.” .”
Europe, a lucrative destination
Deputy Commissioner Luis Rodríguez, commander of the Naval Command, told EFE that drug caches tended to be seized more frequently in the Pacific region and that even the packages seized in the Caribbean had arrived “en route through the Panama Canal” from the west coast.
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The final destination of the container holding the drug was the port of Valencia in the Mediterranean, intended to serve as an entrance to the lucrative European market.
“In general, a large amount of containerized cargo makes its final way to Europe (…) The price in Europe is much more attractive to criminals than here in America,” explained the deputy commissioner.
He pointed out that so far this year, the National Aeronaval Service has successfully conducted 66 operations, seizing a total of 32,289 packages containing illegal substances of various kinds. In addition, 108 people were arrested during these operations.
Panamanian authorities seized a historic 138.41 tons of drugs in 2022, including 108.82 tons of cocaine.
Panama serves as a bridge for drugs that are manufactured in South America and whose main destination is the United States, the world’s largest user of cocaine, and also Europe.
(c) EFE Agency