11 officials suspected  of theft of medical supplies arrested

Early morning raids by the  National Police in the provinces of Panama and West Panama,  on Thursday, August 18, led to the arrest by 7.15 am of  11  current and former officials of the Social Security Fund (CSS), suspects involved in the “subtraction of supplies” from the entity.

According to the investigations, they were presumed to be involved engaged in stealing supplies in different warehouses of the social security entity, a situation that caused the “shortage of medicines in medical centers.”

Personnel from the First Superior Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime and agents from the National Police participate in the second phase of the “Insumo” operation, which began in September 2021.

On September 16, it was reported that in the first phase of the operation, 12 people were apprehended after raids were carried out at various points in the provinces of Panama and West Panama.

During these first proceedings, various medical supplies were found that were stolen from the CSS warehouses with the intention of marketing them, the Public Ministry reported on that occasion.