Drugs and gang wars push homicides past 500

The number of homicides committed in 2023 will exceed 500. From  January to November, the Public Ministry registered a total of 499 murders throughout the country, the same number of crimes committed in the entire year 2022.

The data reveal that between January and November 2022, 457 homicides had been reported, which compared to the 499 counted in the same period of 2023, reveals an increase of 9%.

The data also highlights that the main victims are men between 18 and 29 years of age: so far this year, 185 murders correspond to men in this age group.

This same trend was reflected in 2022 when 158 crimes were recorded in that age group between November of that year.

The figures reveal that the provinces with the highest homicide records are Panama, with 282 crimes (of which 94 were committed in the district of San Miguelito), Colón (92 crimes), Panamá Oeste (53) and Chiriquí (18).

Meanwhile, in provinces like Bocas del Toro, only three murders were recorded throughout the year; in Los Santos, four; in Veraguas, six; in Coclé, 10, and in Darién and Herrera, nine in each.

The former detective of the Judicial Technical Police (PTJ), David Villarreal, estimated that the increase in the number of homicides in 2023 may be related to greater activity by gangs linked to drug trafficking and the territorial dispute for its distribution.

He recognized that there is a growing participation of Creole groups that assist international drug trafficking groups for the storage and transportation of drugs to markets such as the United States and Europe.

In his opinion, the settling of accounts for lost shipments or for the control of routes through which narcotics move may be a factor in the increase in crimes.

At the same time, he recognized that it is very easy for criminal groups to obtain large-caliber firearms that are used to commit crimes.