By Bill O’Reilly - ONE of the most underreported ongoing stories is the war in Mexico between the government and the drug cartels. More than 28,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since 1996. Mexican drug merchants are even more deadly than al-Qaida. They have more firepower and more money and are just as willing to kill civilians. Yet, Americans know little about the chaotic situation south of the border. The reason: The drug cartels don’t seem to threaten us directly. But, they do. Illegal narcotics from Mexico wind up in almost every community in the United States. The FBI estimates that about 70 percent of crimes from coast to coast are drug-fueled.

The latest atrocity in the Mexican drug war was the discovery of 72 bodies on a ranch, 100 miles from Texas. The dead — 58 men and 14 women — were migrants from South and Central America. The lone survivor says cartel gunmen shot the unarmed folks because they resisted an extortion attempt. The reliably anti-American New York Times partially blamed the mass killings on the Americans, saying, “Mexico’s drug cartels are nourished from outside, by American cash, heavy weapons and addiction; the northward pull of immigrants is fueled by our demand for low-wage labor.”

I had to read that editorial three times to believe it. Hey, you pinheads, if the United States would send 10,000 members of the National Guard to help the Border Patrol, drugs and guns would not be able to cross the border so easily. This grisly charade is infuriating. This country has the power to stop the smuggling of human beings and drugs. We could do that. For political reasons, we don’t. Meanwhile, the drug cartels kill at will and create terror on a scale not seen anywhere else at this time.

Mexico is at fault because it won’t ask for American help. Apparently, it thinks 28,000 dead is acceptable. It’s not. U.S. law enforcement and troops should be assisting Mexican authorities in the destruction of the cartels. The fact they have been able to operate their murderous industry so openly for so long is beyond shameful.

Manuel Noriega turned his country, Panama, into a “narco-state” and, in 1989, President George H.W. Bush sent U.S. forces in to remove him. President Barack Obama might study that campaign. Something needs to be done in Mexico.

Bill O’Reilly is host of the Fox News Channel show “The O’Reilly Factor.” His column is distributed by Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90045.   

Panama's Deputy Attorney General, Angel Calderón, will be in charge of the official investigation into a vehicle that was being used by the Public Ministry, which was found to have 16 kilos of cocaine. The information was confirmed by Panama's Attorney General, Giuseppe Bonissi. According to statements Bonissi gave to RPC Radio, they received information that there were drugs hidden in the vehicle, so they conducted an inspection to verify the information, and it was then that they found the 16 kilos of cocaine. Bonissi added that "drug traffickers are very resourceful and every day they are looking for ways to evade justice." The investigation into the discovery of these drugs will be both in the administrative and criminal fields. (Telemetro Reporta)

Editor's Comment: Last year a vehicle was seized as part of a drug bust with cocaine aboard. After it was seized, the Public Ministry started using the vehicle as part of their fleet. Later, they received a tip that there was still 16 kilos of cocaine hidden in the vehicle in a "false double bottom." The information turned out to be correct. Now, they have started an official investigation into the whole matter. This story has been all over the Panamanian news today.   

The registration number of N2538B painted on the side of an aircraft found abandoned in the province of Los Santos actually belongs to a military aircraft from 1959, according to the Director of the Civil Aviation Authority, Rafael Barcenas. The official said that according to the Registry of the Federal Agency of Civil Aviation of the United States, this registration number does not belong to the aircraft discovered in Panama. The authorities concluded the plane was being used for illicit activities. Authorities used tests to confirm the presence of substances such as heroin, meth-amphetamines and marijuana in the aircraft. In this case, three people have been arrested and more arrests expected. (TVN Noticias)

Editor's Comment: Earlier this week this airplane was found on a farm in Los Santos. It had "Unicef" painted on the side. Obviously, this aircraft was being used to smuggle drugs or other illegal activities.   

The National Naval Air Service (Senan) announced today that in a joint operation with the National Police, they seized 1,100 kilos (2,425 pounds) of cocaine following the chase of a "go fast" speedboat. The chase started about 10 miles away from Isla Coiba, and then later the drug traffickers ran aground Punta Mariato in the province of Veraguas. The drugs were distributed in 55 packages. In addition, during the operation officers found two guns with ammunition and two satellite phones, said the SENAN in a press release. The three crewmen on the boat managed to escape. According to the National Director of Air and Naval Operations of the SENAN, Nonato Lopez, the boat started in international waters and the chase started when they entered the national territory. (La Prensa)   

It's a perfect gateway for drug trafficking. It's called Coquira and they say it's a port, but in reality this is only a label. Located in the district of Chepo, in the Southeast part of the province of Panama, Coquira in reality is far from what could be considered a ship terminal. There "little" is the key word: there is little police presence and control, coupled with almost no infrastructure and poor conditions in which they survive the passage of time. The place called a 'port' paradoxically does not have any dock. There are three stalls where food is sold and a small hall that functions as a a bar. This is nice as long as it's not raining, however users run the risk of getting wetter inside that they would have if they had stayed outside. From these poor facilities one hundred men set sail, navigating the Bayano river basin as far as the river's mouth at the sea. There they throw their nets and return with their boats loaded full of fish. Long ago, local fishermen had exclusive transit - so to speak - in the peaceful waters of the Bayano river. However today they are not alone. (more)

   Click Here To Read The Full Article (455 words)

Panama's National Police on Tuesday seized 2.477 kilos of cocaine after a smugglers boat that was being chased by naval officers crashed into a house when it left the water due to high speed, authorities said. The boat, with four crew members, tried to escape when it was ordered to stop by vessels of the National Air Service, but it was speeding, lost control and ran aground, where it hit a small house made out of wood and zinc, which shattered. Inside the small little shack was a man and an 11 year old boy, who were not injured but who lost their home. The incident occurred in Puerto Pilon, a coastal region of the Atlantic province of Colon. The 2.477 kilos of cocaine were wrapped in packages that had Nazi symbols, hidden inside fuel tanks. This confiscation "leaves a very clear message of the will of the security forces and the national government to say we will stop drug trafficking," said security minister, Jose Raul Mulino, to Telemetro Reporta. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: Earlier this bust was 1,000 kilos, now it's 2,477 kilos - larger is better. And, the 11 year old boy whose arm was supposedly crushed under the boat was, according to this story, unharmed. This bust has a street value of a quarter of a billion dollars.   

One 11 year old child injured, one home destroyed, an more that 1,000 kilos of cocaine seized - the result of a pursuit of a drug-laden speedboat by agents of the National Air Service (SAN) early this morning, Tuesday, 20 July 2010, in the sector of Puerto Pilón, outside of Colón. The high speed chase of drug traffickers on the high seas started in the early morning hours in the waters of the Caribbean off of the coast of Panama's province of Colón, near the port of La Doradita, in Pilón, where the boat loaded with fuel and drugs ran aground due to the high speed chase. When reaching the shore the boat impacted a house made of sheets of zinc roofing material, where an adult and a minor were sleeping. The 11 year old child's arm was injured and was trapped below the hull of the boat, while the four drug trafficking occupants fled the area and abandoned the drugs and fuel. Authorities have been conducting a search operation since the early morning hours in an attempt to capture the traffickers, while seizing the large shipment of drugs. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: If you've ever been to Portobelo or Isla Grande then you've driven right through Puerto Pilón. This is a very large and important drug bust, worth more than $100 million street value.   

Panama's National Naval Air Service (SENAN) seized a total of 408 kilos of drugs distributed in 21 bags in an area near Punta Caracoles, province of Darien. According to the SENAN report, the early hours of Sunday morning they detected the suspicious movements of a 32-foot boat with three people aboard and two 200 horsepower engines. When they were detected, the crew of the boat threw some of the packages into the water while they had still other packages on shore. At approximately 6:30 am the SENAN reported finding nine sacks full of drugs, and subsequently found two fuel tanks with a vacuum supply hose to the engine, where they found two more bags. During the course of the morning they detected another ten sacks. Tonight the drugs will be taken to a safe location and it will be transported to Panama City on Monday morning. The SENAN will have a press conference at their headquarters in Cocoli to provide additional details on this seizure. (Panama America)   

The war grinds on, with hundreds of raids, roadblocks and patrols each day, further restricting the mobility of the leftist rebels and the drug gangs. These operations are also finding and destroying camps, bases and facilities (labs, storage) used for the drug trade. The gangsters and rebels avoid fighting the security forces, which have air power, trained troops and commandos. The bad guys have learned that they are likely to get hurt bad if they stand and fight. There are still occasional ambushes. But even when these are successful, the police and army have better communications and transportation, and can usually chase after the attackers quickly and effectively, catching them and turning the tables. Most of the "combat" seen by leftist rebels and drug gang gunmen consists of bullying civilians into cooperating, or not letting the police know what's going on. This worked much better a decade ago, before the security forces were re-equipped and re-trained, and most Colombians decided they really didn't want to continue living in fear. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,060 words)

CBC News - A bust that involved raids stretching from southern Ontario to Quebec will keep an estimated $10 million in illegal drugs off the street, Niagara police say. At a news conference in St. Catharines Thursday, police displayed tens of thousands of dollars in cash and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of high quality cocaine netted in the bust the previous day. Police say the bust, in which ecstasy, heroin, hashish and marijuana were also seized, is the largest ever in the Niagara region and involved a ring with international connections. "During the course of the police investigation, it was revealed to be an ongoing and sophisticated criminal enterprise," said Insp. Cliff Sexton of Niagara Regional Police. "The inner workings of this group spanned across international borders in order to facilitate the movement of cocaine from Colombia to Spain and Holland as well as from Costa Rica and Panama, with Canada being the eventual destination."

Police arrested and charged 12 people in Toronto and the Ontario communities of St. Catharines, Hamilton, Niagara Falls and Wainfleet, as well as in Sherbrooke, Que. A total of 107 charges have been served, including: Trafficking drugs, Exporting drugs, Conspiracy to traffic drugs. Police believe there may be more rings working in the region, and said they could make more arrests as they uncover more information. Around 350 law enforcement officers raided a number of properties across Ontario and Quebec Wednesday at the conclusion of the investigation into the ring, dubbed Project Takeout. The investigation began in September 2009 when Niagara police responded to concerns from the St. Catharines community that drug trafficking was occurring at a local restaurant called Legend Chinese Cuisine. Niagara police then infiltrated the ring and after finding out how large it was, got help from other police agencies, including the Toronto Police Service, the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police and the Canada Border Services Agency.   

Agents from the Direction of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) seized fifty-one kilos of suspected cocaine and more than $1.1 million dollars in cash as part of an operation conducted in the Las Cumbres and San Francisco neighborhoods of Panama City. The alleged illegal substance was seized in an apartment in Las Cumbres, where they arrested two Mexicans, who according to information obtained by the DIJ had another residence in San Francisco, the site that housed the money. The seizures started last night and ended today. At a press conference the Deputy Director of the DIJ, Omar Pinzon, reported that this case involves a criminal network operating in Panama, Mexico and Colombia. (La Critica)   

The businessman Jean Figali, who has an arrest warrant pending issued by the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime, was arrested today at a police checkpoint in the town of Guabalá, in the district of Tolé, province of Chiriquí. At the time of his arrest, Figali said he was going to a farm that he has in the province of Chiriqui. Unofficial reports indicate he was carrying a large amount of cash in his vehicle, but this has not been confirmed. (TVN Noticias)

Editor's Comment: Jean Figali is (was) the owner of the Figali Convention Center on Fort Amador. He was very tight with the government of Mireya Moscoso, and he managed to survive five years of PRD rule with the help of a string of Supreme Court decisions in his favor from Winston Spadafora. As soon as Ricardo Martinelli took over it was perfectly clear to everyone that Figali's days were numbered. One of the very first things Martinelli did in office was to rip down a fence Figali had erected around an illegal landfill, and post a huge sign reading "Now It's The People's Turn." Figali then supposedly bowed out of the company and recently he's been avoiding the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime, who has charged him with money laundering.    

Panama's Minister of Public Security, Jose Raul Mulino, said he will launch an investigation into the placement of landmines in an area of the province of the Darien, near the border with Colombia, which he said is the work of so-called "narco-guerrillas." "Other mines have been found, which implies that in this region (Jaque, Darien) they want to protect something with these mines, which we will find, without respite, but that we will find with the lowest possible cost in terms of human life and the safety and welfare of our officers," Mulino told reporters. Mulino's statements came after two officers of the State Border Service (Senafront) lost their legs on 24 June 2010 after stepping on a landmine in the area. "Panama for the first time is finding anti-personnel mines in its territory. Placed by whom? By foreign narco-guerrillas," said Mulino.

Mulino, who did not say exactly how many land mines were found further in this border area of the country, did not rule out asking for support, advice and intelligence from Colombia and from other countries to investigate this, because, he said, "this is an international issue." Panama's president, Ricardo Martinelli, attributed the incident last week to drug traffickers, while ruling out the possibility that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were involved in the matter.

The Security Minister acknowledged that "there is always a risk," but said he will continue touring the area because it "has changed the policies in Panama." "We're going to patrol and cover our territory. These men are not going to use our territory as a sanctuary or as a theater of operations," he said.

The Panamanian government has accused the previous government of failing to act against the FARC, and a local newspaper published an article last weekend containing information that attributed alleged contacts with the guerrillas to former Panamanian president Mireya Moscoso (1999-2004) and Martin Torrijos (2004-2009). These alleged contacts sought, according the the reports, to avoid clashes with the guerrillas in the border area and for Panama to maintain a "neutral" position. The allegations were denied by both leaders, and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said on Wednesday he had received Panamanian "solidarity" in their "fight against terrorism" from both of the prior governments. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: This isn't the first time landmines have been placed in Panama. It's the first time officers from the Senafront or any other organization are actively patrolling into the dense jungle areas, normally controlled by the FARC and the drug traffickers. Panama for decades has simply "surrendered" the land past the end of town to whoever wants to go there. As long as the bad guys stayed in the jungle, then the government would not send troops in there to root them out. Now, that policy has changed, and guess what - they found a mine. It's a chicken and the egg situation - the mines might have been there for twenty years, but if you never go into the jungle then you never find them and therefore - guess what - "no mines in Panama." Once you start to actively patrol past the tree line then you never know what you might find. "Internal Security" in Panama starts with securing the borders - mostly with regards to drug traffickers - and the FARC are really just drug traffickers anyway at this point. There really is no longer any distinction between the FARC and drug traffickers - and now they are using the terms "narco guerrillas" or "narco terrorists." Same thing, really. And as I have said earlier, this is basically the Rookie Year for the Senafront, and they are going up against FARC guerrillas who have been fighting in the jungles, literally, for decades. Of course they are going to lose the first few rounds, at least. Panama needs help, fast.   

More than 700 kilos of cocaine were seized last night in Belén, Colón, during a police operation. Three people, including two foreigners, were arrested. More than 30 police officers were involved in the operation. Communications equipment was confiscated from those involved. The packages are marked with a seal in the image of Che Guevara, the Argentine guerrilla linked to the Cuban revolution who was killed in Bolivia, Ernesto Guevara. The drugs were taken to the port at Fort Sherman. (TVN Noticias)

Editor's Comment: This shipment of more than 700 kilos or more than 1,500 pounds of cocaine, has a street value of about $70 million dollars in the US. Belén is located along the remote "lower coast" of the province of Colón, near the border between with the province of Veraguas, on Panama's Atlantic coast. Drug traffickers use these remote areas to move their product.   

José Hilario Trujillo, the former adviser to the Ministry of Security, reportedly offered $ 150,000 to former Deputy Attorney General Neftalí Jaén so the Public Ministry would cooperate in the judicial process involving Ricardo Traad Porras, who is accused of money laundering and drug trafficking. Jaén met with Trujillo on 17 June 2010 in his office when he was the Deputy Attorney General, in Ancon. After a brief introduction, Trujillo asked Jaén to intercede with the Drug Prosecutor, Javier Caraballo, to ask him to work on behalf of Traad, who is now free thanks to a ruling by the Fourth Criminal Court, which found him innocent. In return, he was offered $150,000 dollars. Trujillo claimed to have direct contact with Traad.

This newspaper (La Prensa) was able to reconstruct, through sources in the Public Ministry and the Executive branch, the meeting between Trujillo and Jaen, and the steps that led to the arrest order against the former advisor of the Ministry headed by José Raúl Mulino. According to sources in the Public Ministry, Jaén rejected the offer and immediately wrote a report to the Attorney General. Last Thursday, Jaén went to the offices of the Security Ministry to arrest Trujillo. Once there, he met with Vice Minister Garúz. After he was called, he was asked to resign. According to some sources, once Trujillo resigned, the Public Ministry reconsidered the situation and decided to not arrest Trujillo at that moment. "We wanted to avoid another scandal for Minister Mulino," said a source close to the investigation. But then they changed their minds and decided to arrest Trujillo on Tuesday. Yesterday, Trujillo was given a precautionary measure of house arrest. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: Drug money. For those who don't know what's going on, Ricardo Traad Porras was the former Director of an organization that no longer exists called the Servicio Maritimo Nacional" (SMN) (National Maritime Service). This was the closest thing Panama had to a Navy, and since then the SMN has been blended into the new National Naval Air Service (SENAN) - in about 2006 I think. Obviously as the Director of the SMN Traad was in a position to know about every waterborne drug seizure in the country. Do you think any drug traffickers might have tried to buy him off? He was a public servant, an officer in the SMN, but yet he had properties in Casco Viejo among other holdings - too much money for a public servant. In US anti-drug circles he was known as "Teflon Traad" because he was apparently untouchable - everyone knew he was dirty but nothing would stick. The case he is currently facing has to do with the seizure of a ship called the Perseus V by the US Coast Guard that was found to have a ton of cocaine aboard, hidden among a shipment of scrap metal. Later, the scrap metal was supposedly taken to Mexico and sold. Traad was declared innocent (go figure) by a lower court, and apparently the Public Ministry is preparing to appeal the case. And that's why this José Hilario Trujillo offered Neftalí Jaén $150,000 dollars to intercede on Traad's behalf - to get the Public Ministry to stop their efforts to bring the case up on appeal. Now ask yourself - where would a lowly public servant get $150,000 dollars to toss around in bribes? How much do you think the judge got to declare him innocent in the first trial? Is anyone investigating that judge? Has Traad been arrested and thrown back in jail? The "justice" system is still completely broken in Panama - as well as polluted by drug money.   

(Reuters) - Prosecutors have charged 18 people in an international money-laundering conspiracy that they said moved millions of dollars of Colombian drug profits through the United States, Colombia, Guatemala, Hungary and other countries. An undercover investigation named Operation Circling Vultures has resulted in 17 arrests on charges related to laundering drug profits for traffickers around the world. One more suspect, Marlon Sanchez, 36, is still at large, officials said on Tuesday. "This is one of our largest drug money laundering investigations in New Jersey, yielding hundreds of millions of dollars in drug proceeds," Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Douglas S. Collier said. "It's significant because it had such a global reach throughout different countries."

An unnamed cooperating witness introduced U.S. agents to Colombian peso brokers. Undercover agents then spent months monitoring money-laundering operations in the United States, Panama and Guatemala, among other locations, a statement by the U.S. attorney's office said. Among those charged was Jader Gomez, who authorities allege told undercover agents he was trying to move $200 million in U.S. currency into Panama from Guatemala by plane and asked the undercover agents for help. "You take the head of the snake off, which is Gomez, then the rest of the snake is dead," Collier said. Each of the 18 was charged with one count of participating in a money-laundering conspiracy. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.   

Eight people were arrested for their alleged connection with the explosion of a land mine in Jaqué, province of the Darién, which left two officers of the State Border Service (Senafront) wounded on 24 June. A lawyer for the detainees, Erick del Rio said his clients are just poor people who can not read or write, who live far away from Jaqué and the border area. Del Rio said on the Channel 2 TVN news broadcast that he is appealing to the conscience of the prosecutor who is handling the case and to the President of the Republic, Ricardo Martinelli [for the resolution of the situation]. Meanwhile, relatives of the detainees expressed concern about the situation that affects them, since some of them lost part of their family in a shipwreck last year and they are still affected by that fact. The investigations into this case continue, as President Martinelli said the camp where the land mine exploded during a patrol operating in towns near Jaqué belonged to drug traffickers. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: Landmines. Great... This article does not explain why these people were arrested. They must have had something to do with this camp, one way or the other. In the image below you can see the areas of the Northernmost Colombian province of Choco where landmines are known to exist identified in blue. Notice the blue lines along the rivers. It's pretty clear the FARC has laid down mines to try to keep the Colombian military from following them into the jungles of the Darién where they run to hide and heal.

   

Two officers of the State Border Service (SENAFRONT) were admitted to the hospital with serious injuries, after an antipersonnel land mine exploded as they inspected a camp used by drug traffickers in the remote province of the Darien, near Panama's border with Colombia. The officers were admitted to the San Fernando Hospital, where they remain under surveillance, and their limbs were the most affected. The president, Ricardo Martinelli, together with Vice President Juan Carlos Varela, visited the officers in the hospital. The incident occurred on the shores Jaqué, in the Darién, when the border control officers were conducting a patrol and they discovered a camp, allegedly used by drug traffickers. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: Again, it will take a review and inspection of the scene by explosives experts to determine if this was caused by a "land mine" or something else, like an IED. Either way, it's a serious incident.   

Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli said this morning that all of the previous administrations in the country had "an amicable agreement with these drug traffickers" in a clear reference to the drug traffickers who operate in Panama near the border with Colombia. Martinelli made these statements to members of the local press who were waiting at the entrance of the San Fernando hospital, where two members of the National Border Service have been admitted. Yesterday afternoon these officers were wounded after stepping on a land mine that was placed, according to Martinelli, by drug traffickers and not by Colombian FARC guerrillas. When asked by reporters what kind of arrangements, and which of the previous administrations had arrangements with drug traffickers, the President said "all of the previous administrations. There is no arrangement here (with this administration), they are going to be gone, and we are going to go after them with everything." Martinelli said half of the robberies and murders that occur in Panama are "the product of drug trafficking. Enough already, because they are doing damage to the Panamanian society." On the health status of the border control officers Martinelli said they are stable and that the government will help. Martinelli said the officers were part of a patrol and they have tightened security in the province of the Darien. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: Apparently whoever was using the camp left behind some kind of an explosive device as a booby-trap. The officers of the National Border Service discovered the camp, there was no one there, but there was evidence that the camp had been used or occupied recently. The device exploded as the agents were inspecting the camp. Martinelli called it a "land mine" but I suspect the exact details of the explosive device might be somewhat different in reality. This was most likely some kind of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) deliberately set as a booby trap. The biggest problem faced by drug traffickers in the Darien, ironically, is not from government security forces but rather from rival bands of other drug traffickers who would kill them, steal their shipments and equipment, etc. They probably left this behind hoping to blow away a rival drug trafficker, and they probably never expected their camp would be discovered by the National Border Service. Again, this is speculation and conjecture on my part, but normally when the drug traffickers are caught by government forces they throw down their AK-47's and run into the jungle. When they are confronted with other drug traffickers they will stay and fight. Anyway, it really doesn't matter - this will serve as a wake up call for everyone involved. Like I have been saying for years - the US spent billions of dollars to help Colombia secure their national territory from the FARC and drug traffickers, and in effect they only were able to squeeze the balloon and now the problem has moved here. Great. Send money. And guns. And logistics,. And comms. And intel. And helicopters. And those really nice fellas from SOCSOUTH. (Aw, shit. Obama's in charge.) OK, just send the Peace Corps for now, we can wait a couple of years... In the meantime order the Red Horse guys to issue weapons and ammo, and to move out of that damn hotel into something that can be secured. WTFU guys...   

22 June 2010 – In an effort to strengthen maritime security in Central America, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Panama today launched a joint programme intended to prevent illicit and counterfeit goods from entering markets through sea ports. The programme includes the launch by UNODC of the Centre of Excellence on Maritime Security in Panama City and the opening of a regional office for Central America, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, with financial support from the Panamanian Government. The centre will help identify threats to maritime security and serve as a resource of expertise, training, data collection and analysis. UNODC’s new operational hub in Panama City will also allow the organization to provide more effective advisory services to countries in the region. The flow of narcotics from the Andean countries to North America is a key concern.

“Seventy per cent of crimes in Central America are directly linked to drug trafficking,” said Juan Carlos Varela, Panama’s Foreign Minister. “This reinforced focus on maritime security will help the governments in the region to tackle the common threat of organized crime,” he said. Most of the world’s trade is carried out in shipping containers, meaning that containers are also the main delivery methods for illicit goods, UNODC’s Deputy Executive Director Francis Maertens said during a visit to the port of Balboa in Panama. “Better container security can raise the risks and lower the benefits to organized crime,” said Mr. Maertens. Less than two per cent of the 420 million shipping containers used globally every year are inspected, creating major opportunities for drug traffickers and smugglers to conceal illicit cargo, according to UNODC.

Improving container security in Panama’s ports is a priority since more than 11 million containers pass through the Panama Canal every year. Since joining UNODC’s World Customs Organization Global Container Control Programme last year, Panama has significantly increased the number of seizures of illicit goods hidden in containers. “Thanks to improved intelligence and information-sharing, in just seven months Panamanian authorities have managed to confiscate 146 containers transporting drugs and counterfeit goods, with a value of over $20 million,” said Mr. Maertens. Highly sophisticated concealment methods are part of the problem, but law enforcement agents at ports are often hampered by inter-institutional mistrust, corruption, complex port processes, lack of resources and dangerous conditions.   

A man who is supposedly a Puerto Rican was arrested at the Tocumen International Airport when he tried to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. Omar Antonio Curbelo García raised the suspicions of the authorities when he acted with nervousness, and he was submitted to an x-ray test, which revealed he had 63 tablets containing heroin in his body. The man was carrying a US passport as identification, as well as a copy of the Puerto Rican anthem, despite having a Colombian accent. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: What? Smuggling heroin to Turkey? That doesn't seem to make any sense...   

The Paris Court of Appeals decided today that the lawsuit filed by Panama, which seeks compensation for laundering of drug money attributed to former Panamanian dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, will be addressed during the trial against him, to be held starting next Monday. The court split the Panamanian demand against Noriega's wife, Felicidad, who has not yet appeared before the French courts, and who will be the subject of another hearing scheduled for 24 January 2011. Panama's ambassador in France, Henry Faarup, told the press today that during the hearing next week against Noriega before the Correctional Tribunal of Paris, Panama would claim "all or part" of the money confiscated by French Customs from the former Panamanian strongman when he was convicted in absence in France in July 1999 to ten years in prison.

In that ruling, the State of Panama only received only nominal damages of one franc, because the judges felt that the money laundered by Noriega and his wife in France did not come from Panamanian state coffers, but rather from drug trafficking. The lawyer representing the government of Panama before the Appeals Court, Benot Lavagne, said during the hearing next week Panama would ask for a specific sum that he would not disclose today, and he only said it was justified due to "moral and material damages." Faarup stated, in any event, because theirs is a private accusation, their demand is limited to asking for compensation, and not to enter into the question of a criminal conviction against Noriega. In 1999, the Justice French also sentenced the former dictator ten years in prison for laundering some $3.1 million dollars. Noriega, 76, was extradited to France on April 27 from the United States, where he served 20 years in prison. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: Huh? Noriega get caught and convicted of laundering about $3.1 million dollars of drug money in France, and now the government of Panama is trying to get the money? In his original conviction the French Court awarded practically nothing to Panama because it wasn't state funds, but rather laundered drug money in France. So, now Panama is going after back after the $3.1 million dollars? That seems weird to me...   

Between nine to ten people have been arrested for their connection with a money exchange business presumed to be involved in laundering drug money. Javier Caraballo, Panama's Anti Drug Prosecutor, said this is the third phase of an operation that resulted in the capture of a group of people who made frequent transfers of large amounts of money to Mexico and Colombia. Caraballo said they are performing a financial analysis to confirm the suspected relationship to drug trafficking. He said the case involves the arrest of an entire family as well as other relatives who are involved, who will be charged with money laundering. (Panama America)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - In Panama, the cocaine goes North and the money comes South. In recent years it has become common for Panamanian law enforcement and customs officials working at the Tocumen International Airport to discover "tourists" who are actually trying to smuggle large amounts of cash into the country. Up until now this has been an administrative infraction of the Custom's laws. As part of the recently passed Law 30 (9 in 1 law) anyone caught trying to smuggle in money or other financial instruments without having declared them on the customs form are now subject to two to four years in prison. Article 24 of Law 30 says:

• Article 24: Article 375-A is added to the Criminal Code, as follows; "Article 375-A. Who, at the moment of entering the country, fails to declare or who declares totals that do not correspond to the money, valuables, or negotiable instruments carried in quantities of more than $10,000 dollars will be sanctioned with from two to four years in prison."

Another "Tweak" I see this as just one more little "tweak" that was tossed into this law, another element that will be used to clamp down on drug traffickers and money launderers who flow through Panama like water. Anyway, when you fly into Panama make sure to fill out your customs form, especially if you're carrying more than $10,000 worth of anything.

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

Panama's Security Minister, Jose Raul Mulino, appeared before the Budget Committee of the National Assembly explain the transfer of $3.8 million dollars, of which $ 2.3 million will be allocated for construction and improvement of six new Naval Air Stations in Quebrada de Piedra, in Chiriquí; bahía Piña in the Darién; Punta Coco in the Las Perlas islands, Coiba in Veraguas; Metetí in the Darién, and Mensabé in Los Santos. (La Critica)   

The National Police, in coordination with officials of the Anti Drug Prosecutor's Office, seized more than $3.8 million dollars in cash. The seizure came after a raid on one apartment in the Mystic Park building in Punta Pacifica, resulting in the arrest of five Colombian nationals, ages 20, 22, 29, 30 and 40 years old, respectively. The authorities also seized three vehicles: a white Chevrolet Aveo white license plate number 855202, a gray Hyundai Santa Fe license plate number 454049, and a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado with license plate number 561890 plate, police said in a statement. (La Prensa)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Here's another element that was included in the "Lobster Law" recently passed by Panama's National Assembly that I think everyone can support. The United States has spent billions of dollars over the past fifteen years to shore up the security forces in Colombia. In 1995 the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), together with the drug traffickers, had practically taken over the country. The US launched "Plan Colombia" and started with the training of several Counter Drug Battalions, and provided airlift and mobility with Blackhawk helicopters, arms, weapons, training, logistics, intelligence, communications, and basically whatever else the Colombians needed in order to take back control of their country.

Moving Operations To Panama: Now, fifteen years later, the bad guys are moving here. They are now shifting their methodology to use more overland routes to transport drug shipments, and one of the things they do is to modify trucks or cars to add "false" or "double bottoms" to create places to hide shipments of cocaine. Recently in Panama law enforcement authorities have busted several shops apparently dedicated to the modification and manufacture of these kinds of trucks with "false bottoms." I think most of the busts have come from intelligence rather than searches - meaning - the authorities already had information from other sources that "the red truck, right over there" had a false bottom, and when they went looking for it, they were able to detect it.

That Has Been Made Illegal: Now, if you are caught in the act of modifying any means of transportation to transport drugs or launder money you are guilty of a crime that can get you five to ten years in prison. Here is the text of the law.

Original Spanish As Adopted: Artículo 17. Se adiciona el artículo 319 -A al Código Penal, así: "Artículo 319-A. Quien altere o modifique la estructura fisica o técnica de un medio de transporte terrestre, marítimo o aéreo, con el objeto de destinarlo a la elaboración, almacenamiento, distribución, venta o transporte de droga o a actividades relacionadas con el blanqueo de capitales, será sancionado con prisión de cinco a diez años."

English Translation: Article 17. Article 319-A is added to the Penal Code, thus: "Article 319-A. Those who alter or modify the physical or technical structure of a ground, maritime, or air means of transportation, to allow for the preparation, storage, distribution, sale, or transportation of drugs or activities related to money laundering shall be punished with imprisonment from five to ten years."

The Cat And Mouse Game Continues: I've been a participant or observer of the drug war since about 1987, and there has always been this cat and mouse game between the drug traffickers on one hand and law enforcement on the other. Up until yesterday it was perfectly legal to build trucks in Panama with double bottoms. Now, having that same truck in your shop will get you five to ten years in La Joya. You have to applaud the efforts of the Panamanian authorities to hit back, however and wherever they can. Granted, this one article won't make a huge difference, but it's the small and incremental steps that matter.

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

Environmental pollution caused by the burning of drugs in Cerro Patacón could disappear. Panamanian authorities are considering the purchase of three special incinerators, one which will be used in Panama City and another two to be used in the interior of the country. Currently, illegal drugs that have been seized are destroyed by burning outdoors and the use of gasoline to light the drugs on fire, which causes even more pollution to the environment. Authorities started burning drugs outdoors at Cerro Patacón after the incinerator that was in the headquarters of the Judicial Investigation Department of Ancon was damaged. (TVN Noticias)   

VHeadline News Editor Patrick J. O'Donoghue reports: Former Police Detective Branch (CICPC) general commissioner, Norman Puerta has been placed under arrest in the tiny European enclave of Andorra on charges of money-laundering. The 51-year old Puerta -- who is retired -- is said to have nested a $1 million account in an Andorran bank. The financial intelligence unit of Andorra claimed that the account is a transfer of funds from a narco-trafficking offshore society based in Panama. It appears that the Andorran police waited three years for Puerta to step foot in the country to access the account before they could take action against him. Puerta ran the CICPC anti-drugs unit for a little more than over a year ... he was a detective for 29 years. A report in Las Ultimas Noticias cited Puerta as being close to top-ranking CICPC general commissioner, Marcos Chavez. Police in the Andorra principality said they are continuing investigations to see if there are ramifications and others involved.

Editor's Comment: Interesting. This guy ran the anti drug division in Venezuela for a long time. He knows where a lot of bones are buried. Any chance he might be able to plead a deal to tie Hugo Chavez to drug trafficking. Hey, Noriega's cell is now available...   

On orders of the President of the Republic, Ricardo Martinelli, about 26 "high profile" inmates that were being held in the El Renacer Penitentiary were transferred on Friday to the La Joya and La Joyita prisons. There were transferred under strict security measures, mostly foreigners, and mostly with links to drug trafficking cases. (Telemetro Reporta)

Editor's Comment: The La Joya and La Joyita prisons are much worse than the facility at El Renacer in Gamboa. For years prisoners with a lot of money could buy practically anything they wanted and have it in their "private suite" in the Renacer facility in Gamboa. It's considered to be "soft" time compared to doing "hard" time at the other facilities. This is another action taken by Ricardo Martinelli to send the message that things are now being done differently. He's just going down a long laundry list of "open secrets" in Panama and turning them off, one by one... (applause sign lights up)