Weapons of war seizure could put top officials behind bars

“Operation Fury” leading to the seizure of dozens of weapons of war could lead to former high ranking security chiefs spending many of their retirement years behind bars alongside some of the “real” criminals they pursued.

From October 2010 to January 2020, a ban was in force for the importation of firearms into Panamanian territory, except for those that were for the use of the State. Presumably some of the weapons that came into the country “legally”, somehow got into the hands of high officials.

The crimes related to the illegal possession or carrying of arms, or their trafficking, included in articles 333 to 335 of the Penal Code, have sanctions that are among the most severe in Panamanian law, reaching more than 20 years in prison in some cases.

The entire trace of the transactions carried out with the weapons is not know or if  there were swindled buyers and holders in good faith. This must be clarified in court reports La Prensa.

Law 57 of 2011 prohibits individuals from possessing weapons of war, even for collection purposes. In this sense, it is unknown which of the accused obtained which weapons. writes Ronaldo Noriega. The truth is that the transactions were legalized before the DIASP of the Ministry of Security. Even later resales were mostly registered in this institution.

To add complexity to this story, the investigation was carried out by the Police Intelligence Directorate, and not the Judicial Investigation Directorate. This could generate vices and, therefore, affect the viability of the cases.