Prosecutor asks drug mayor and coterie suspension

HIGH LEVEL  members of the PRD were in court on Wednesday, May 27 to hear  The First Drug prosecutor, Markel Mora, ask  the Judge of Guarantees  Josefa Monfante, for the provisional arrest and separation of the post of the Mayor of Los Santos,  Eudocio Pany Pérez, who is  a top PRD official,  his adviser Eduardo Vásquez Vásquez and two members of the National Police: Major Luis Omar Alvarez Martinez and agent Manuel Esteban Salazar.

The four are linked to the drug network dismantled on the weekend at the conclusion of an  11-month investigation with a  Monday raid on the mayor’s office, the seizure of large amounts of cocaine and marijuana, submachine guns. and 30 high-end cars including a Lamborghini.

The  Prosecutor also requested provisional detention for six others arrested in the Monday raid: Manuel Antonio Dominguez Walker head of the network), Andrés Enrique Moreno Zamora, Alberto Luis Chavez, Roxana Lisbeth Norato Samaniego, José Antonio Villarreal Hernández and Manuel  Domínguez Salazar.

For  Ernesto Bowel Noel, an alleged front-man in the network, Mora requested home detention, as he is 70 years old.

All those arrested were taken to the audience in handcuffs and were guarded by armed agents.

They are charged with alleged drug trafficking, money laundering and capitalization, illicit association to commit crime, corruption of officials and possession and trafficking of weapons.

The hearing  began on Tuesday, September 26,  following the arrest of the 11  in the investigation operation, which covered  provinces of Chiriquí, Coclé, Los Santos and Panama.