One of Panama’s Most Wanted Men is Captured in a Luxurious Mansion in Colombia
‘Coya’, who had been on the ‘Most Wanted’ list in Panama since 2023 for drug trafficking and money laundering offenses, was subject to an international red alert issued through Interpol.
Panama January 30, 2026: Panamanian Juan Abdiel Chérigo, alias ‘Coya’, identified as the main link between drug trafficking networks in Panama with the Clan del Golfo, was apprehended in the municipality of Granada, located in the east of the department of Antioquia (Colombia), by units of the Colombian National Police in coordination with Panamanian authorities. ‘Coya’, who had been on Panama’s ‘Most Wanted’ list since 2023 for drug trafficking and money laundering offenses, was subject to an international red alert issued through Interpol, said General William Rincón, director general of the Colombian National Police.
Chérigo was located in a mansion, situated on a 350 square meter estate in a rural area, surrounded by an extensive green area and almost isolated, where he remained hidden surrounded by luxuries. Before carrying out the capture operation, Colombian officers deployed drones that allowed them to confirm that ‘Coya’ was inside the property. Upon entering the ground floor of the two-story mansion, they found no one, so they went upstairs, discovering the ‘Most Wanted’ man hiding in the bathroom of one of the bedrooms.
Along with ‘Coya’, a woman presumed to be his romantic partner was also apprehended. At the conclusion of the operation, the couple was taken into custody and placed at the disposal of the Colombian authorities, while the procedures for their extradition to Panama are carried out. In Granada (Antioquia), the Colombian National Police, in coordination with Panamanian authorities, captured Juan Abdiel Chérigo, alias Coya — General William Oswaldo Rincón Zambrano (Director of Police)
