Drug trafficking cop suspects walk streets

FOUR  police officers and three civilians said belonging to a drug trafficking network and facing drug, money laundering, corruption of officials and conspiracy charges are free to walk the streets with orders to report three times a week.

They were released after a probate hearing late Friday, May 4.

Their arrest followed nearly 18 months of investigation by the First and Second Prosecutor’s Offices in joint operations with the National Police Sensitive Unit leading to the seizure of drugs and cash.

On December 19, 2016, 300 packages of cocaine were seized, from a Prado,

Another  155 packages were seized from a second Prado in Antón in the province of Coclé on February 1, 2017.

On February 23, 2017, after a continuous surveillance, agents tracked a woman in a ‘Mini Cooper’, in  San Francisco. ‘Linces’ (motorcycle patrol police)  arrested her and seized $49,700 dollars in cash.

On March 10, 2017, 110 cocaine packages were seized, from a Kia  Sorrento in Santiago.

The accused are Carlos Rivera Mojica, (taxi driver), Edwin Jiménez Castillo, police corporals  Jahan Castro Diego,  Diógenes Sánchez García, and Anel Caballero Rodríguez,  and police lieutenant  Alexis Martínez Castillo, and Digna Morantes de Batista, wife of Sgt. Carlos Batista Morantes, who was detained in Chiriqui and allegedly head of the network.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Mrs. Digna Morantes has an account in a local bank with a balance  of $119,486.47

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