Panama’s Mayor ‘Mayer Mizrachi’ Tracks Aid Sent to La Guaira Venezuela After Detecting a Change in the Route. Where are the Donations?

The mayor of Panama City, Mayer Mizrachi, stated that he placed GPS tracking devices on some of the humanitarian aid sent from Panama to the state of La Guaira, in order to verify that the donations reached the people affected by the earthquake.  According to the mayor, the initiative sought to build trust between Panamanian donors and the Venezuelan diaspora regarding the destination of the aid. 

Mayer Mizrachi’s Tracking Revealed a Different Destination

According to Mizrachi, one of the trackers recorded that one of the shipments arrived in Maturín, located hundreds of kilometers from La Guaira, the place where the assistance was initially intended.  The mayor indicated that, when referring to the case, he considered two possible scenarios:

• That the aid had been transferred to assist victims relocated to other states.
• Or that there were questions about the management and distribution of humanitarian aid.

So far, no public evidence has been presented to confirm which of these explanations corresponds to the movement detected by the tracking device, nor have Venezuelan authorities commented on this claim.

Regarding the Traceability of the Aid, the Case Raises Interest

Mizrachi also stated that, after publicizing the case, authorities from other cities contacted him to learn about the tracking mechanism used, with the aim of strengthening transparency in future shipments of humanitarian aid.  Tracking the distribution of donations is often part of the traceability measures implemented to ensure that assistance reaches the affected communities.

Venezuelan minister criticizes Mayor Mayer Mizrachi for tracking humanitarian aid

“We reject the vulgar and despicable statements of the mayor of Panama ,” said the Venezuelan minister regarding the actions of Mayer Mizrachi.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello pictured above left, criticized Panama City Mayor Mayer Mizrachi after the latter stated in television interviews that he was tracking the location of humanitarian aid sent to the South American country, which was affected by the double earthquake of June 24 that has left at least 3,535 dead.

“We reject the vulgar and despicable statements of the mayor of Panama, who put a GPS tracker on the humanitarian aid, how despicable, how despicable, to check where it is,” said the high-ranking official in a broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).

According to Cabello, there is an “excessive, criminal, and despicable campaign by some petty figures in the political world who disregard the disaster” and “disguise what they call aid to the country with methods designed to sow doubt” about the Venezuelan people. “Well, every thief dreams of being robbed,” the minister stated, adding that Mizrachi was detained 10 years ago in Colombia for a corruption case. 

For its part, the Mayor’s Office of Panama collaborated in the collection of some 100 tons of humanitarian aid since the beginning of the rescue and international support efforts, of which more than half has already been sent to Venezuelan territory.  Mayor Mizrachi had previously indicated that he placed AirTags (small tracking devices) inside various supplies, ranging from boxes of diapers and water bottles to boxes of detergent, to verify the aid’s destination. In his statements, he detailed that one of the trackers located shipments in the city of Maturín, in eastern Venezuela, nearly six hours from the worst-affected areas.