A Multi-Million Dollar Shipment of 1,488 Drug Packages Discovered
The container left Mexico, passed through Panama (Colón) and its final destination was Belgium. Drug traffickers lose multi-million dollar shipment: 1,488 drug packages found.
Colón Panama: Drug traffickers lose a total of 1,488 drug packages that were seized Tuesday night during a surprise operation carried out by the Colón and Guna Yala Drug Prosecutor’s Office in conjunction with units of the National Police (PN). The action took place on a ship in transit, docked at the Colón Port Terminal, after a search of a suspicious container. The Attorney General’s Office confirmed that the merchandise was camouflaged inside 35 black suitcases, and the packages were wrapped in light blue and chocolate brown, with letters and numbers as a code.
According to the National Police, the container left Mexico, passed through Panama (Colón), and was ultimately destined for Belgium, Europe. The drugs were taken into custody, while the prosecutor’s office has already begun its investigation. All of this was made possible thanks to the profiling of ships and containers in ports, a strategy that continues to yield results against drug trafficking.
A Panamanian and Two Colombians Arrested in Puerto Rico with Cocaine Valued at $30 Million
A Panamanian and two Colombians were arrested Wednesday morning off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico after attempting to smuggle 1,789 kilos of cocaine, valued at $30.4 million, into the Caribbean island. According to a statement from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in San Juan, CBP Air and Marine Operations officers spotted a suspicious vessel sailing toward the municipalities of Lajas and Cabo Rojo, both on Puerto Rico’s southwest coast. In response, CBP deployed the crew of a coastal interceptor vessel, as well as a unit from the Puerto Rico Police Force’s Rapid Action United Forces (FURA).
Between the two units, they intercepted a yola-type vessel named “Eduardoño” 3.7 kilometers off the coast, near the La Pitahaya sector of Cabo Rojo. CBP maritime agents arrested two Colombian citizens and one Panamanian citizen, who lacked the necessary documentation to legally enter or remain in the United States. Upon inspecting the vessel, authorities found and seized thousands of kilos of cocaine compacted into 62 bales. The aliens and contraband were transferred to Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, both in Puerto Rico, for investigation and prosecution.
