Police, lawyers and justice officials aided drug cartels

The Oasis operation, led by the Drug Prosecutor’s Office together with National Police over, two years, uncovered a network that used police, the accusatory criminal system (SPA) and lawyers, among others, to move drugs from Colombia.

The operation culminated in 28 raids in Panama,Panama Oeste, Cocle, and Chiriqui.

Panama’s attorney in charge, Javier Caraballo, did not rule out that in the next few days they will capture more people linked to the group. For now, 25 people, 24 vehicles and cash are in the hands of the authorities.

According to the investigations, the organization was the logistical support of Colombian drug cartels, helping them to introduce cocaine shipments along the coasts of Darién and Chepo, and then take it in double-bottomed cars to Central America.

Sources linked to the investigation  said that the leader of the network was a Nicaraguan citizen murdered in July 2020.

However, the group continued to operate under the command of Panamanians and foreigners who coordinated the arrival of cocaine shipments by sea.

According to Caraballo, the officials of the Police, the SPA and the lawyers were in charge of facilitating the movement of the drugs, giving their activities a legitimate cover. In the case of a detained police captain, he is credited with using his rank to facilitate the passage of vehicles with drugs through the checkpoints installed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Drug Prosecutor’s Office analyzes including the charge of money laundering against some of those investigated, as they used companies to legitimize dirty money.