1777 Packages of Suspected Drugs Destined for the United Kingdom Seized: Major Blow to Drug Trafficking

Panama’s National Aeronaval Service (Senan) reported on Monday the seizure of 1,777 packages of suspected drugs at a Panamanian port terminal that were destined for the United Kingdom. The illicit substance, whose weight and type were not specified, was found by agents of the Port Intelligence of the Senan “inside two containers that were traveling aboard a merchant ship in transit through Panama,” said a statement from the security agency.  The discovery occurred at a port terminal in the Caribbean area, in the province of Colón, when the units identified “inconsistencies that prompted a more detailed inspection,” the official statement indicates. 

Police officers discovered that “both containers showed alterations to their security seals,” the report adds.  It also details that the traceability of the shipment indicates that “it left Guayaquil, Ecuador”, and that “its final destination was the London Gateway Port, in the United Kingdom”.  The National Air and Naval Service (Senan) highlighted that with this seizure, it has surpassed 16.8 tons of illicit substances seized so far this year, in 14 anti-drug operations under the “Firmness Plan” and the “Protective Shield” operation to “strengthen security and confront international drug trafficking”. 

The drug packages weigh at least one kilo, and the most frequently seized illicit substance in Panama is cocaine.  So far this year, Panamanian authorities have seized large shipments of drugs, such as 5,356 packages of drugs on January 17 with the interdiction of a vessel in one of the islands of the Pearl Islands Archipelago, in the Panamanian Pacific, also by agents of the Senan.  Panama seized 129 tons of drugs in 2025 and 47.8 tons of chemical precursors, according to statistics from the Public Ministry.