13 most-wanted netted in Interpol swoop

Panama participated in an 8-country operation coordinated by Interpol which resulted in the arrest of 13 of Latin America’s most wanted, the international criminal police organization announced on Friday.

Fugitives, wanted for serious crimes such as murder, kidnapping or sexual violence were all subject to Interpol red notices.

The arrests took place between February 22 and March 5 and police from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru participated.

The head of an international drug trafficking network was detained by the Bolivian police in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

“These results are only possible thanks to the permanent network of PAcCTO, which has been created over time among national fugitive investigators,” Stephen Kavanagh, Interpol’s executive director of police services, said in the statement, referring to the Assistance Program against Transnational Organized Crime (PAcCTO).

“Every year, this network grows stronger and it is even more difficult for criminals to evade justice by fleeing from one Latin American country to another,” added Kavanagh.

EL PAcCTO is a program funded by the European Union that aims to strengthen local capacities and facilitate international cooperation.

Launched in 2018, it has so far made it possible to locate and arrest 79 fugitives.