One of Panama’s most-wanted caught in Costa del Este

José Cossio, who had been held in the Punta Coco prison, in Isla del Rey, home to the most hardened offenders. Until now nothing was known about his release.

 On Saturday night, at the exit of the Sur corridor in Costa del Este when police officers were verifying his documents.

A police statement, said that on September 16, 2020 (11 months ago) – the Judicial body granted him immediate freedom.

“Due to a new office, and at the request of the Public Ministry, we proceeded with the arrest and it will be a judge of guarantees who determines what corresponds to law,” the PN statement said.

Judicial sources told La Prensa that Cossio was imprisoned in Punta Coco due to a sentence for drug trafficking; once completed, he was able to leave the prison. However, it seems that the time he was on the run was computed and that was what was appealed to a guarantee judge.

Cossio was arrested on April 30, 2015, in Costa Rica and deported to Panama.

His criminal record reveals that in 2005 he was linked to the theft of $2.5 million from the Bank of China in the Colon Free Zone. For this crime, he was sentenced to six years in prison, but he was released from prison a year early

In 2010 he was arrested in the United States and sentenced to 5 years months for the crime of intent to distribute cocaine and illicit association. He asked to serve his sentence in Panama and was sent to La Joya jail. From there he was transferred to the Nueva Esperanza prison, in the province of Colón, where he deprived a PN second lieutenant of his liberty and was again taken to La Joya.

 On September 30, 2014, he escaped from La Joya prison ($10,000 were offered to anyone who gave information that would lead to his capture) and took refuge in Costa Rica, where months later he was captured and deported.