Panama’s role in war on drugs earns praise from DEA boss

The internal director of the US Drug Control Administration (DEA) Timothy Shea, made an unprecedented visit to Panama and met Monday with senior Security and Justice officials. “It is the first time that a general administrator of the DEA visits Panama,” and he does so to “recognize the work” carried out jointly “with the authorities of other countries in the fight against organized crime and international drug trafficking,” he declared. the Panamanian attorney general, Eduardo Ulloa.

Shea “stated that the success and results obtained” by Panama “to been set as an example for other Latin American countries and taken as a model to replicate it,” added the head of the Attorney General’s Office of Panama.

The United States Embassy  indicated that Shea was received by the Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, and the Vice Minister of that portfolio, Juan Pitti, in a meeting in which the directors of the country’s police forces and Stewart Tuttle the  head of the US Mission  in Panama also participated. Panama,

“The close collaboration between the two countries on security matters will be reaffirmed,” the embassy on social networks.
Shea’s visit is a preamble to this week’s High-Level Security Dialogue, which will address issues such as maritime security, border security and anti-money laundering efforts.

Last October, the Counselor of the US State Department, Thomas Ulrich Brechbuhl, announced during a visit to Panama that a force from both countries against money laundering was already underway and predicted that it would begin to “bear fruit.”

“There are several things we are doing” to attract more investment from the United States to Panama, “we have launched a joint task force to combat money laundering. The efforts that we have put into it will begin to pay off,” said Brechbuhl.

Panama has also made important drug seizures in recent months and the authorities have recognized that they have been the product of joint work with the United States, Colombia and Costa Rica.

Between January and November, Panamanian security forces have seized around 72 tons of drugs, Drug Prosecutor Javier Caraballo said last week.

Panama seized a total of 90.99 tons of drugs in 2019, the vast majority cocaine, a record for this country, and they arrested 1,013 people linked to drug trafficking, 10% of them foreigners.