Shipwrecked in Panama. Ecuador Warns of Suspected Traffickers Posing as Survivors.

Ecuadorian security agencies have warned that individuals allegedly involved in transporting drugs by sea are posing as shipwrecked survivors to Panamanian authorities.  This was denounced by the Ecuadorian Defense Minister, Gian Carlo Loffredo, in an interview broadcast by the Ecuadorian radio station Radio Centro.  According to the report, Ecuador has already documented repeated cases of people who have had to be assisted multiple times with the expenses of clothing, accommodation and return tickets, after reporting themselves as shipwrecked.  “Did you know that we have the worst sailors in the world?

Ecuador has the worst, because Ecuadorian shipwreck survivors arrive in Panama, and it turns out we have around 20 repeat shipwreck victims, one with 17 shipwrecks, another with 8, and another with 6. Where do these shipwreck survivors come from?” stated the Ecuadorian Minister of Defense.  Loffredo added that once they deliver the drugs, the ship no longer has enough fuel to return and “then they get in the path of commercial ships, which all go to Panama.”  He explained that these sailors claim to be shipwrecked, then they are taken to Panama “and after they complete the drug delivery, the Ecuadorian State has to buy them clothes, provide them with lodging and a ticket back to Ecuador.”