A gang of robbers suspected of targeting tourists in Panama was dismantled in the area of Concepción. The two men were aboard a Nissan XTrail pickup truck that had special license plates to provide luxury service to tourists, said Captain Rios of the Juan Diaz police station. He said the "individuals were arrested with a gun and six rounds of live ammunition." According to the information, the men who were arrested passed themselves off as taxi drivers at the Tocumen International Airport, where they identified their intended victims in order to rob them of their belongings on the Southern Corridor. (Source - Panama America)    

Another victim falls to the criminals. Daniel Alberto Carrizo, 19, was washing his car in the parking lot in front of his house when he as jumped by four young men bearing firearms. The criminals took Daniel through the door of the laundry and subsequently entered the house, where there were five more members of the family. All had their hands tied and they were thrown to the floor. This assault occurred at 8:30 pm on Monday evening in Hato Pintado, when all of the members of this family had returned from their jobs and college. Two of the criminals went upstairs and started filling bags with the property they intended to steal. The other two were guarding the hostages, to whom they said they would not do anything. Within minutes, officers of the National Police arrived at the house. Upon arriving and seeing the water running from the hose and the doors hanging open they decided to enter. That was when one of the robbers saw the policemen and there was an exchange of fire, in which Daniel was shot in the head. Two of the criminals were shot in the legs. One is Gil Ernesto Gonzalez, 19, and the other is a 16 year old minor. Both had 9mm handguns. The other two are fugitives. Max Lopez, a close family friend, asks that justice be done and they do not want what happened in this household to happen to another family, it is a very painful loss. Alejandro, David's brother, who still had the marks on his wrists from where he was tied up, described Daniel as an obedient young man who was studying marketing at the USMA, attended church and helped his father at work. The young man's funeral will be tomorrow at 11:00 am Christian House of Prayer in Santa Elena. (Source: Dia a Dia)   

The director of the Penitentiary System, Diomedes Kaa, said the National Sports Institute (Pandeportes) will give the opportunity for inmates to participate in the repair of sports grounds, in a program similar to the one managed by the Ministry of Education. Kaa said inmates must meet certain requirements, including having served two-thirds of their sentence. When asked about the new perimeter fence at the La Joya prison, he said in the coming days it should be 100% operational, upon completion of training. He also confirmed approval has been granted for the construction of a new prison and that soon they would be accepting bids so that hopefully by August they would have a firm plan for the construction of this new facility, which will house about 5,500 inmates. (Source: La Critica)

Editor's Comment: The inmates love these kinds of programs. It gives them the opportunity to get out of the prison for awhile, and only inmates on good behavior with no record of problems while incarcerated are selected to participate. The biggest enemy in a Panamanian prison is boredom, at least for those inmates who are locked up with other non-violent offenders. Anyone who criticizes this program has probably never set foot inside of La Joya. The inmates there would do anything to be able to get out for a day for a change of scenery and some fresh air - even if that includes having to do things like cutting the grass, painting a backboard, or what have you. And besides, you get to see chicks on the street from the bus...    

The director of the Direction of Judicial Investigation, Javier Carrillo, said about 900 firearms were reported as lost or stolen in 2009. Carrillo was concerned, because these weapons are being used by criminals to commit crime. He called on judicial authorities to be more forceful with cases in which the use of a stolen firearm is detected. (Source - La Critica)   

No one is safe! Colon businessman kidnapped in broad daylight. At around 10:00 am yesterday morning police discovered a red Mini Cooper with license plate number 857228 abandoned near the corner of 15th Street with Central Ave in the city of Colon. Witnesses told authorities that, moments before, the driver of the car was forced out of this vehicle at gunpoint and forced into another vehicle. This occurred near the entrance to the city of Colon in front of the Plaza Millennium shopping center. The driver of the Mini Cooper is a businessman of Lebanese origin. Normally well-informed sources said he was kidnapped, and the criminals quickly made contact the businessman's family members. They said the kidnappers demanded a payment of $100,000 dollars for his safe release, which was delivered. But instead of releasing him they demanded an additional $150,000 dollars, which the family members paid and the victim was released. The National Police said yesterday afternoon the case was registered as a possible car theft, but they also admitted they did not know the whereabouts of the driver of the car. The National Police never confirmed if the businessman ever appeared. (Source - El Siglo)   

While Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli said yesterday that he would give his full support to the Director of the National Police, Gustavo Pérez de la Ossa, Panama's Attorney General, Giuseppe Bonissi, said it was premature to open an investigation. Both statements came after a classified report from the National Police, dated 22 March 1990, revealed Pérez de la Ossa was discharged for "affect the prestige of the police" for having kidnapped US citizens during the invasion of Panama, Operating Just Cause. Martinelli only said - via email - that he "trusts fully in the work of Pérez de la Ossa because he is doing an excellent job," as are the other members of the National Police. Meanwhile, Bonissi said that once he receives the documentation in this case it would fall to a prosecutor to investigate. "It will be necessary to clarify the information, and therefore, we should verify the factors that occurred many years ago and evacuate them according to law," he said. Perez de la Ossa also received the support of the Minister of the Presidency, Papadimitriu Demetrius, who said "there will be no changes in the National Police." Complaint: Meanwhile, a group of lawyers, including the former Chief of the now defunct Judicial Technical Police (PTJ), Jaime Abad, said they would file a complaint before the Attorney General asking for clarification of the incident through a thorough investigation. Abad said the incident has to do with the possible commission of an "aggravated felony" because it infringed the physical safety of human beings who had no involvement in the armed conflict, in violation of the Geneva Convention. Abad cited Article 1992 of the Judicial Code which reads: "When an agent of the Public Ministry becomes aware, by any means, that in the Territory where he exercises his functions that a crime has been committed, he should immediately initiate the respective preliminary investigation ...". For his part, the former President of the Panamanian Association of Business Executives, Enrique De Obarrio, supported the statements of former Vice President, Guillermo Ford, who said this is a "very serious" issue. However, he said it would be necessary to hear the version of the Director of the National Police director, once he returns to the country, to clarify what happened. (Source: Panama America)

Editor's Comment: We knew full well, in early December 1989 when preparing for Operation Just Cause, that a primary element of Noriega's resistance plan revolved around kidnapping US civilians and holding them as hostages. Much of the US strategy and planning went into reducing or eliminating opportunities for Noriega's forces to actually kidnap anyone. Many family members, children, civilians, and other non-combatants were evacuated prior to the start of hostilities. On 20 December 1989, Gustavo Pérez de la Ossa was a Lieutenant in the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) and was the second in command of the Unidad Especial Antiterror (UESAT). According to reports now circulating around the Panamanian media, Lt. Pérez de la Ossa supposedly participated in an operation in which US citizens were kidnapped from the Marriott hotel, taken to another location where they were held a gunpoint. A superior officer ordered them to shoot the hostages and then left before they were actually shot. Thankfully, they were able to talk their way out of it and the hostages were not killed. This same unit, the UESAT, was involved in another similar incident which did result in the execution of two US citizens.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I just got a tip that an American woman named Denise Hiller was reportedly found dead in her apartment located in the "Torre del Parque" building in Paitilla. Initial reports indicate her body had signs of blows and bruises, as if she had been hit repeatedly. Apparently now the police and investigators from the Public Ministry are on the scene to recover the body and initiate their investigations. More information will be forthcoming as it becomes available. Apparently Denise Hiller moved to Panama about three years ago. If anyone knows Denise Hiller personally please contact me at cell 6614-0451 or email don@panama-guide.com. Thanks.

Update 3:39 PM: Apparently the victim's name is Denise Mullen Hiller and according to her Facebook page she recently spent some time on Isla Grande in January 2010. However, I have not yet confirmed that this is the same person who was killed in Panama. This is a breaking story so it's still fluid at this point in time. Stay with me...

Update 4:10 pm: Identity Confirmed. I just spoke to a family member, and they confirmed this is the same Denise Mullen Hiller. Apparently she was found "beaten to death" in her apartment in Paitilla. Denise was here in Panama working on a project.

Update 4:24 pm: Time of Discovery - according to one of my regular and normally very reliable sources, the body of Denise Mullen Hiller was discovered in her apartment at approximately 10:30 am this morning, Friday, 19 February 2010.

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

Designers, musicians and small business owners are demanding payment for services provided during the 2010 Carnival celebrations in Panama City. Some say when they went to the bank to cash the checks there were given as payment, the checks bounced. Many say they were cheated by Carlos Arias. (Source: Telemetro Reporta)   

Panama's Deputy Minister of Government and Justice, Jorge Ricardo Fabrega, said this morning on the Channel 13 Telemetro news program, that the government will spend more than $100 million dollars to rebuild the nation's prison system. Fabrega said "this money will be spent on building prisons and not just making patches, like the installations in Monte Esperanza in Colon," which was originally a laundry, he said. The Deputy Minister said that in the coming years there will be a change in the overall way in which the long standing problem of the prison system in the country is addressed. (Source: La Estrella)   

A lifeless body was found dismembered in the district of La Chorrera, in the area of El Espino, abandoned in a pasture, according to RPC Radio. The victim may be a man named Edwin Cortez, who according to a statement of women last saw him on 30 December 2009 when he went with a friend named "Jean" to the area of Curundú. The discovery of the body occurred after a dog dragged a human hand back to the house, an event which prompted authorities to search for the corpse. Authorities are waiting for the results of DNA testing and an autopsy to confirm the identification of the body. (Source: La Critica)   

Luis Alberto Arboleda Dutary was detained by Traffic officers of the National Police while driving a red Hyundai with registration number 503804 at the entrance to La Lajas de Chame. The police officers used the new system which allows them to check in real time to see if a person has any outstanding wants or warrants using the person's driver's license. This system indicated Arboleda Dutary had a pending arrest order, number 699 of the Fourth Criminal Court, dated 11 June 2003. He also had an additional arrest warrant pending, number 6826 from the Third Circuit Prosecutor's Office of Panama, dated 22 October 2007. Finally, this person was turned over to the proper judicial authorities for processing. (Source: La Estrella)

Editor's Comment: I hope they keep good records on how many people are arrested thanks to this new system. Maybe they will see the benefit and keep it maintained and working. Normally, new systems like this get tossed as soon as the first set of batteries die.   

Murder and robbery at sea. Yesterday morning Lisandro López made it to shore near El Embarcadero in Juan Díaz after having spent hours keeping himself afloat, as the only survivor of three who were robbed at gunpoint aboard a fishing boat named "El Sol." Upon reaching land, Lisandro told the inhabitants of El Embarcadero what had happened and he asked them to call the police. On Tuesday night, near Paitilla, the three fishermen were aboard "El Sol" when they were surprised by another boat with three aboard who took the fish they had caught and their boat. "We came upon three men in a boat and they asked us if we could give them fuel, but we refused to give them help," he said. He added that suddenly they were threatened with a weapon and ordered to jump into the water, so he jumped into the water and swam. Soon he came upon Captain Ángel Ceferino García, with whom he swam for awhile, but later he got a cramp and sank. "I heard some shots and do not know what happened to the other man," said Lopez. Following these statements, the National Police and SINAPROC conducted a search but did not find the other two bodies. When Lisandro made it to shore he asked the people in the area to give him food because he was exhausted. (Source: Dia a Dia)   

SPI Corporal Joel Javier Guzmán and his brother Benjamín Guzmán, both Panamanians who are suspects in the alleged plot against President Ricardo Martinelli, were transferred to the La Joya prison. The Guzmán brothers and Puerto Rican Isaac Polanco have been charged with attempted kidnapping. It was learned that the Puerto Rican made himself out to be an informant to members of the Security Council and tried to charge the sum of $2,000 for information related to a supposed kidnapping attempt. Both the SPI Corporal and his brother have denied their participation in the plot. (Source: La Critica)   

The son of the representative of San Felipe, Mario Kennedy, is again involved a criminal act. A group of foreigners who were in Panama filming a documentary were the victims of a robbery and they accuse Kennedy of a second robbery. According to the version of the tourists, Kennedy offered them help you recover their items which had been stolen (laptop computers and recording equipment) with the condition that they pay him $150 dollars for each object. The victims gave $400 dollars to Kennedy who disappeared with the money. By continuing to investigate, the tourists discovered that the person who robbed them was the son of the Representative of San Felipe, because they had taken pictures of him. One of the foreigners said Kennedy even threatened to kill him in front of several police officers, who took no action. The group of tourists are in the country filming a documentary "Chupacabra Hunters". (Source: Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: Exactly how stupid to you have to be in order to hand over $400 bucks to some dude on the street in order to supposedly get your laptop computer back? Man, gringo tourists are friggin' stupid... Oh, and the son of the Representative of San Felipe is a friggin' crook. He'll probably grow up to make a great politician. Just like his dad.   

Victor Manuel Soto was the name of one of the Fuerzas Armadas de Colombia (FARC) guerrillas who died last week in the Darién province in a firefight with officers of Panama's Sistema Nacional de Frontera (Border Police). The Institute of Legal Medicine will maintain custody of the bodies until they have been identified, according its Director Humberto Mas. Soto was identified because he was carrying documents, however the other two rebels who were killed in the clash remain unidentified. Both of the men are black and are between 30 to 35 years of age. Humberto Mas reported they will make a dental profile and take their fingerprints in an attempt to identify the men. He said the bodies may not be turned over to anyone without first having been identified. (Source: Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: After the clash, the officers on the scene buried the three men in the same area where they were killed. Government officials quickly returned to the site and dug them up as part of the investigation to accurately ascertain the identities of the men.   

Alfonso "Hurricane" Mosquera, a recognized Panamanian boxer, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for killing his wife, Luz Torres Moreno. Mosquera spent several days a fugitive from justice after the death of his wife in August 2008. He subsequently turned himself in and spent four months in prison, where he must return to serve his sentence. The Fourth Circuit Criminal Court conviction also disqualifies the athlete from holding public office for the same time period. (Source: Telemetro Reporta)

Editor's Comment: Forty months? That's it? This guy literally beats his wife to death in a rage and he gets just forty months? Since he was detained for four months when originally arrested, that time served counts against his sentence, so therefore he will do just three additional years in prison for murder. And government officials want to know why there's an increase in violent crime in Panama? This animal should never be let out of his cage.   

President Ricardo Martinelli today will ask the owners of the various television channels in Panama to regulate their news broadcasts, as announced in a press conference held during the official graduation ceremony at the Police Academy, denying that this constitutes censorship of the media. Martinelli recalled that in the past a system of self-regulation had been adopted, however he said this has been forgotten by the owners of television media in search of "ratings." "There can be a one-hour newscast and of that time 40 minutes is devoted to crime, burglaries, robberies and murders," he said. "If you journalists don't cover violent crime, you are in trouble," he added. He also referred to soap operas in which they only talk about negative things, which is why he repeated that we cannot be in the hands of the mafia because there are also good things happening in the country. In this sense, he questioned the soap operas that are broadcast all day long, because all of them are damaging the Panamanian society and in a broader sense, the country. These soap operas "promote things which are not good," he said. "These soap operas should be shown late at night," and stated it is possible to damage the values of the population with programs that only show robbery, drug trafficking, and crime. Martinelli said during the ceremony that if there is a failure to reach a agreement with the owners of national television stations, the issue will be left to the National Assembly to be regulated by law. Last Friday, on 22 January 2010, the president lashed out against the television media. He thinks businessmen do not want to invest in Panama due to the violence reflected on the news. (Source: YURETH PAREDES for La Estrella)

Editor's Comment: Obviously, Martinelli is way out in left field on this one. In 2009 there were three murders (executions) per day in Panama. No amount of ignoring or failure to report on the increases in violent crime in Panama is going to change that. If Martinelli wants to see less reporting of violent crime on television, then maybe he should get busy and do something to stop the damn crime! This is really a ridiculous discussion, and I really have no idea why he's going down this road. I mean, it's literally blaming the messenger, even more ironic coming from the one man who can do something about it. Want some positive headlines? Declare martial law. Arrest all of the friggin' murderers. Search for and confiscate all of the illegal weapons. Arrest and prosecute all of the killers, thieves, crooks, and criminals. Christ, man, you just let a whole bunch of them go because the prisons were full. Build some more prisons, now. The National Police work for the President. Shut it down... Stop whining about the negative press and get busy.   

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by former Panamanian dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega returned to Panama, his lawyer Julio Berrio, said the decision raises the possibility of asking the US Secretary of State to return him to Panama. The lawyer says the ultimate decision to extradite Noriega to France will be made the the Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. According to Berrio one of the points in Noriega's favor is that he is about to turn 75 years-old. The Extradition Treaty establishes that human rights must prevail. (Source: Panama America)

Editor's Comment: For me, this is a no-brainer. Simply ask Manuel Antonio Noriega what he wants to do, and then do the other thing. Like, he wants to come back to Panama, therefore he should be sent to France. Since he's about to turn 75, and they are going to find him guilty (again) and sentence him to another 10 years for drug trafficking and money laundering, that means he will probably die in a French prison cell. If it were anyone other than Hillary Clinton making this decision I would not have a concern in the world. But with her as the Secretary of State, literally anything is possible. Anyway, at least the US court system has finally cleared all obstacles for Noriega's extradition to France.    

He was found near the entrance of the road leading to the Miraflores Locks. A police patrol that was passing down Avenida Omar Torrijos, in the district of Ancon, near the entrance of the Miraflores Locks, found a body by the side of the road. It was 40 year-old Juan Pablo Perez Osorio, of Colombian nationality. The body bore signs of having been tortured, had a bullet hole in the head, and there were tire marks on the body. (Source: La Critica)

Editor's Comment: Question - Is Panama getting more or less violent? Another report said this body had injuries consistent with someone who had been dragged by a car for a long time. Let's see, 600 kilos of cocaine busted yesterday afternoon, body by the side of the road last night. Connection? Last year Panamanian authorities busted a total of about 53 tons of cocaine, which translates to about 48,080 kilos total. Also in 2009 there were an average of three assassinations per day for a total of about 1,000 dead. The vast majority of those killed were in some way connected to the drug trafficking. Therefore, in doing the simple math, every 48 kilos seized results in one dead body. You can expect another 11.5 dead guys thanks to the 600 kilo bust from yesterday. I would suspect that if you went back and did this same simple math calculation for years gone by, you would find that 2009 was the most violent to date, in terms of murders per kilo of cocaine busted in Panama. There's a simple explanation for why this is occurring. The Mexicans have taken over responsibility for moving much of the cocaine from Panama to the United States, and they basically place even less value on life than the Colombians. You gotta wonder though - if they keep killing everyone who's involved, at what point do you run out of dudes to do the work?   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Yesterday afternoon I started getting telephone calls from Panamanian reporters who were trying to confirm if Isaac Polanco, the 27 year-old Puerto Rican who was arrested on Sunday in relation to his alleged involvement in a plot to kidnap President Ricardo Martinelli, is the same guy who walked away from a jail in Idaho.

• Inmate Walks Away from the Mini-Cassia Criminal Justice Center, Nov. 5, 2008 - BOISE – An Idaho Department of Correction inmate walked away from the Mini-Cassia Criminal Justice Center in Burley while on a work detail. Isaac Polanco, IDOC #85250, was sweeping the jail’s front office when he walked out the front door and disappeared at 1:16 a.m. Polanco was serving time for robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, two counts of burglary, malicious injury to property and grand theft by possession. His next parole hearing was set for April of 2013. All of the convictions were for crimes in Cassia County.
  
  
• Sheriff's Deputies Catch Jail Walkaway, Nov. 6, 2008 - BOISE – An inmate who walked away from the Mini-Cassia Criminal Justice Center in Burley while on a work detail is back in custody. Isaac Polanco, IDOC #85250, was sweeping the jail’s front office when he walked out the front door and disappeared at 1:16 a.m. Wednesday. Deputies found him eating lunch at a restaurant about seven blocks from the jail about 1:30 p.m. today (Thursday). Polanco was with another person who will also likely be charged in aiding Polanco’s escape. Polanco was serving time for robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, two counts of burglary, malicious injury to property and grand theft by possession. His next parole hearing was set for April of 2013. All of the convictions were for crimes in Cassia County. Polanco will now likely face an escape charge in Cassia County.

So, as you can see, a guy named Isaac Polanco did in fact escape from a jail in Idaho, but he was apparently caught the next day. "Our" Isaac Polanco is apparently a different dude. There must be something about the name that makes you do criminal stuff, eh?

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.    

Panama's President Ricardo Martinelli, said during a meeting of the Latin American Business Council (CEAL), that on Monday he would summon the owners of the various television channels in Panama to a meeting, to ask them to stop harping on the theme of insecurity in the country. "Channels 13, 4 and 2 produce a shoddy news broadcast because through its contents they give a message of insecurity in the country, which we are not living." He argued that Panama is one of the safest countries in Latin American, and that an example is that we don't have to go around using bodyguards and much less armored vehicles. On Sunday Martinelli went to the Judicial Investigation Department for an alleged assassination attempt against him. So far three people have been arrested, two members of the Institutional Protection Service and a foreigner. (Source: María De Gracia for the Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Mr. President - there were an average of three murders per day during 2009, which is a lot for a relatively small country of just 3.3 million inhabitants. The bodies are turning up by the dozens. Just last night there was one dude who was shot twelve times, and the headline was that he survived the attack. When you say that "we are not living" in a period of extreme insecurity, you are quite simply wrong. And do you really think that asking the heads of the television channels to order their reporters to cover crime and violence less will have any kind of impact? It won't. Once we get done talking about all of the corruption scandals, we barely have time to talk about the executions and the stacks of dead bodies found tossed by the side of the road every night, which we fit in before the fatal traffic accidents, and before the stories about the 600 kilos of seized cocaine. In short, are you friggin' kidding me? This country is a lot less safe than it was just ten or fifteen years ago. Now, they will kill you for $5 bucks and a cheap cell phone. That happened two days ago in San Miguelito, by the way. A taxi driver was killed for exactly that. You might feel safe, but no one else does.   

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation reviewed the international movements of Isaac Polanco - the Puerto Rican who has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a plot to kidnap President Ricardo Martinelli - and is reportedly investigating the case as an act of international terrorism. Records from immigration indicate Polanco arrived in Panama six months ago on a tourist visa. He has no known family members in Panama, or at least thus far none have been found, the source said. The source also indicated that thus far they have not been able to identify the existence of an "intimate partner" (girlfriend.) The FBI is also working to determine if Polanco, who is being held in isolation at the headquarters of the Directorate of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) in Ancon, is the same as the person of the same name who attended the Air Force Academy located in Colorado in the United States. Institutional Protection Service (SPI) officer Javier Guzman and his brother Benjamin are being held in another cell within the same institution. All face charges for allegedly planning the abduction of Martinelli. BACKGROUND - The assistant inspector of Interpol in Puerto Rico, Ismael Cintron, confirmed Polanco was indicted in the State of Maine in the United States for assault and domestic violence. Cintron said Polanco was booked for this event in 2003. The inspector added they are working to corroborate to determine whether Polanco is the same man who was involved in a case of identify theft in Puerto Rico. So far, his rap sheet has no other criminal activity, beyond the 2003 arrest for domestic violence. Cintron added they do not have any information on Polanco's political allegiances. (Reporter Ricardo Cortés Chico from the newspaper El Nuevo Día of Puerto Rico contributed to this story.) Source: WILLIAM SALA and CARLOS ALBERTO VARGAS for La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: I would still like to see some additional current photos of Isaac Polanco. If anyone knows him or has any additional photos please send them to me at don@panama-guide.com. Now that you've seen his face, maybe you bumped into the guy here in Panama City in the past six months? If so, please send an email or give me a call, cell 6614-0451 or US 845-514-9893. Thanks.   

Officers from the Directorate of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) raided a residence in the region of Las Lomas, Chiriqui Province, in response to complaints from area residents who said the residence was being used as a whorehouse. Authorities arrested a 25 year-old transvestite who calls himself "Karen" who controlled the place where underage girls, aged between 14 and 17, worked as prostitutes. A client who as at the scene was arrested at the time of the raid. The minors have been handed over to the competent authorities, with their names and identities protected. The First Superior Prosecutor of Chiriqui, Jose Henriquez, said on Telemetro that they have opened an investigation into the case and that they will take the necessary measures to prevent these children returning to the activity of prostitution. (Source: ABDIEL AUGUSTO PATINO for La Estrella)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - A 27 year-old Puerto Rican named Isaac Polanco was arrested in Panama City last Sunday. He has since been charged by Assistant Prosecutor Luis Martinez with plotting to kidnap Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli and to hold him in return for a $10 million dollar ransom. Polanco was reportedly using the alias "Israel Montenegro" while in Panama. According to intelligence sources who have spoken to reporters from La Prensa, Polanco first came to Panama in 2008 and his most recent entry into the country was six months ago. If anyone has a photo of Isaac Polanco (aka Israel Montenegro) please send it to don@panama-guide.com. If anyone knows Isaac Polanco personally please contact me as well. Thanks.

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.    

Isaac Polanco, aka Israel Montenegro, 27 year old Puerto Rican citizen, was arrested last Sunday and has been detained at the Direction of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) as the mastermind behind of an alleged plan to kidnap the President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli. According to intelligence sources, Polanco arrived in Panama for the first time in 2008 and his most recent entry was six months ago. Interpol-Panama has requested additional information from their counterparts in Puerto Rico, especially regarding this personal information, background, and police record. Preliminary investigations indicate the three conspirators planned to execute their plot against Martinelli during a public event that was to be held in a public place, but the date or location of the planned attack was not disclosed. When the information became available to the Security Council of the Presidency last week, the arrest of the Puerto Rican was immediately ordered. He was arrested near the Yuyín Luzcando gym in Bethania. After his arrest, Polanco told officials from the Institutional Protection Service (SPI) he had contacted an SPI Corporal who was working in the area of Corozal, and that he in turn had asked his brother to join the plan. The corporal was identified as 30 year-old Javier Joel Guzmán who was arrested at this workplace. His brother, 28 year-old Benjamín Guzmán, was arrested at his house in San Miguelito. According to the initial statement made by Polanco, the plan was to kidnap Martinelli and demand $10 million dollars for his release. The three men involved in this plan met several times and there is even supposedly a video recording made during the meetings which is being sought, said the source. Thus far investigators have been unable to determine if there are more people involved in this conspiracy, or who was financing the plan. Meanwhile, yesterday Panama's Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez designated Assistant Prosecutor Luis Martinez as the lead investigator in this case, and the three men have already been charged. It was reported yesterday that the prosecutor was involved in expanding the preliminary statement of the accused. Polanco is being detained in a separate location, away from the Guzman brothers. The secretary general of the PRD, Mitchell Doens, said that if the reports are true, then he stands in solidarity with the investigations to catch the culprits, "because homeland and democracy stand above politics." Doens said he hopes this complaint "is not a Reichstag," referring to the burning of the German parliament by the Nazis, who then blamed the opposition. (Source: JOSÉ OTERO and WILLIAM SALA for La Prensa)   

Approximately $6,000 dollars in cash and a checkbook were stolen from a tourist from Central America as he was about to pass through the gate to enter the Colon Free Trade Zone to make purchases. The tourist, who was in a group with about 40 other people, was attacked by the criminal who put a knife to his neck as he got off of a bus. Threatened with the knife, the tourist had no other recourse than to surrender his personal belongings, authorities explained. The offender ran away toward the area of Arco Iris, which is considered to be a "red zone." The National Police have launched an operation to find the criminal. (Source: Diómedes Sánchez S. for La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: Well, isn't that a great headline for tourism in Panama. Do you think the "authorities" could get off of their fat asses long enough to ensure the safety and security of the "tourists" who come to Panama to spend millions if not billions of dollars every year? And, they can't secure the distance from the door of the bus to the door of the Free Trade Zone? Give me a friggin' break... Now they're running around looking for a kid with a knife in Arco Iris. I have news for you - every kid in Arco Iris has a knife. Good luck sorting through that haystack.   

Three people have been arrested in relation to the alleged kidnapping attempt against Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, and apparently they have already been charged. Assistant Prosecutor Luis Martínez is heading the investigation in the case, as confirmed by Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez. Gomez explained that since president Ricardo Martinelli is involved in the case, then the profile of the investigation is immediately raised, and she said that she understands that charges have already been formulated against the detainees. Gomez said the public should know that the Public Ministry is doing its job and the public will be informed as the investigation develops. (Source: Kathyria Caicedo for Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: That's the first time I've seen an indication that this "foreigner" who is reportedly a Puerto Rican and therefore a US citizen, has been arrested. The previous article indicated that the person had been charged, but its possible to charge someone without having them in custody. Anyway, it now appears that whoever this person is, is now actually arrested and charged in this case.   

Panama's Attorney General, Ana Matilde Gomez, said today that in the case of the threat to the safety of President Ricardo Martinelli, (everyone) should wait until advances are made in the investigation being carried out by the Assistant Prosecutor, before making any statements on the case. Gomez declined to proved any additional details on the investigation, but she said charges have been filed against three individuals involved in the act denounced by President Martinelli, two members of the Institutional Protection System (SPI) and a foreigner. Gomez said the type of crime committed will determine the process, and not the fact that the person concerned is the President. "It will depend on what is achieved in the investigations. Let's wait. I can not speculate. Let's allow the Public Ministry to do its job and everything that is learned will be reported," said Gomez. This morning Panama's Minister of Trade and Industry said the two agents of the SPI, who have already confessed, said they were contacted by a Puerto Rican, who apparently was organizing a kidnapping in which the victim was to be president Martinelli. (Source: ABDIEL AUGUSTO PATINO for La Estrella)

Editor's Comment: This is the first confirmation I've seen that charges have been filed against the "foreigner" who is reportedly a Puerto Rican, which means a US citizen was possibly involved in organizing the attempt. In this press conference Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez is obviously asking everyone (including the Minister of Commerce and Industry) keep their collective mouths shut about this case until the prosecutor has had time to investigate. I have not seen anything to indicate that the Puerto Rican, who remains unnamed thus far, has been apprehended. And, I guess that means law enforcement officials are actively looking for this person. Obviously, there will be much more to come on this story as the information develops over time. Stay tuned.    

After five hours of deliberation a jury found Rogelios "Juana Peña" Ramos and Jorge Morgan guilty of attempted murder for the death of SUNTRACS worker Osvaldo Lorenzo. Ramos was acquitted of the "actual fact" (meaning, the prosecutor did not prove he actually pulled the trigger.) Miguel Ibarra, another defendant, was convicted of masterminding the murder. The other two defendants in the case, Gustavo Santimateo and Julio Coronado, who were only facing the charge of murder, were acquitted. Members of the Single National Union of Construction Industry Workers (SUNTRACS) said they are satisfied with the jury's verdict. The judge in the case, Secundino Mendieta, now has up to thirty days to sentence the men, who could face up to eight years in prison. (Source: Panama America)

Editor's Comment: SUNTRACS union organizers bussed large numbers of their members to the construction headquarters of the of Construtora Norberto Odebrecht S.A. company in Chilibre, who at the time was building the extension of the Northern Corridor to Colón. In Panama the SUNTRACS construction labor union has a terrible reputation as being left-wing extremists and trouble makers, so it's common for companies to try to keep their job sites from being organized by that union. Norberto Odebrecht did exactly that, and their job sites are organized by a competing union, the Sindicato Nacional de la Industria de la Construcción y Perforación de Panamá (SINTICOOP) (National Union of the Construction and Perforation Industry of Panama). The company's actions to keep SUNTRACS out of their job site severely pissed off the union leadership, mostly because each union member who is working pays 2% of his pay every month in union dues. The government contract to extend the Northern Corridor was a huge contract that potentially could have represented millions of dollars for the SUNTRACS coffers, and they were willing to fight for it. On the morning of Tuesday, 14 August 2007, the SUNTRACS leadership bussed several dozen of their members to Chilibre to confront and provoke the members of the SINTICOOP union who were there. SUNTRACS union members produced weapons and started firing into the Construtora Norberto Odebrecht S.A. compound. When the bullets started flying, these men from the SINTICOOP union (who were convicted in this jury trial) forcibly took a handgun from a security guard who was working at the scene and returned fire. One of those bullets struck Osvaldo Lorenzo in the chest and killed him. This was a lamentable and perfectly avoidable incident, resulting in the death of one man and another three men going to prison, all thanks to the irresponsible decision made by the leadership of the SUNTRACS labor union to provoke the conflict in the first place. And what happened to those guys? Not a damn thing. They manipulate people and situations, haul in millions of dollars in dues every year, and do practically nothing for their membership, beyond getting them killed in situations such as this. I lay the blame for the death of Osvaldo Lorenzo at the feet of the SUNTRACS union leadership - that's where it belongs.