13 restaurant marauders now in detention
FIVE MORE suspects with alleged links to the criminal network that has led a series of assaults on restaurants and bars in the city of Panama have been arrested.
A source close to the investigation told La Prensa on Thursday, August 21, the operations were carried out in conjunction with the National Police and the arrested are all adults.
The arrests bring to 13 the total number of people detained for their alleged involvement in the robberies.
Prosecutors filed charges against three of the suspects for crimes of aggravated robbery and possession of firearms.
A criminal gang is accused of having committed at least 11 armed robberies at different shops and diners hit several assaults committed during the last month.
On Wednesday, the director general of the National Police, Omar Pinzon met with restaurant owners and the administrator of the Tourism Authority of Panama, Jesus Sierra Victoria, to explain how it will work henceforth safety in commercial premises in the country and announced the creation of a “Restaurants Watchers” program, which will join the ” Hotel Vigillantes”,seeking to reduce robberies at restaurants and bars in the capital city.
