Panama’s security forces seized more than three tons of cocaine in containers in transit through the country and with its final destination to Europe and Africa, official sources reported Monday.
The National Aeronaval Service (Senan) seized 3,267 drug packages hidden in two containers in a port in the province of Colón, on the Panamanian Caribbean coast and one of the entrances to the Panama Canal.
"Two containers with 3,267 packages that were destined for Belgium and Africa are raided, each package there has a value of 60,000 dollars, so this seizure during the early morning of today is millionaire"the drug prosecutor of Colón and Guna Yala, Eduardo Rodríguez, told Efe.
One of the Senan commissioners, Luis de Gracia, explained to Efe that this was a "new hit to crime" when seizing "more than 3 tons", after their units made a "profiling" to the containers, and "they will notice an adulteration of the seals" of the same, what "triggered the alerts".
Drugs transported in containers inside boats is a growing modality, according to the authorities.
"According to investigations, the main destination of containerized cargo is Europe, due to the cost of each package in these black markets, where criminal organizations do everything possible to send drug caches"Rodríguez declared.
On October 22, the Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, said that so far a record 98.6 tons of drugs, mostly cocaine, had been seized in Panama.
Until that date, more than 80 tons of the seized drugs were trafficked through maritime routes, while some 27 tons of cocaine were found in cargo containers.
Panama, a transit country for drugs produced in the south of the continent and whose main market is North America, seized a total of 84.87 tons of drugs in 2020.
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