OPINION: Narcolitics thriving in Panama

A new police operation against organized crime in Panama reveals how lucrative it is for many people to get involved in drug trafficking: properties, high-end cars; bank accounts and safes full of cash. But it also tells us how the national territory, its beaches and territorial waters are used for illegal activity, sowing fear among the inhabitants who hear – in the middle of the night – the feverish nocturnal activity of subjects who then walk through those forgotten towns. It tells us about the penetration of drug trafficking into politics and state institutions; It makes us see the lack of resources and technology, the lack of trained personnel to monitor these gangs; that there are serious deficiencies in the way the State hires its personnel and the lack of diligence in monitoring their luxurious lifestyles. In Panama, the recommendation of a deputy is enough for someone to obtain a position, whatever it may be, and that has to end now, or we will end up governed by drug traffickers and with a failed democracy, a product of the corruption generated by the presence of drugs. How long will we have to put up with the narcopoliticization of the State? – LA PRENSA, Jan. 21.