Veraguas Panama Mayors Warn of Environmental Risks and Reject the Transfer of Prisoners to Coiba
The mayors warned that the measure is incompatible with the conservation of Coiba and puts one of Panama’s main natural heritage sites at risk.
Mayors Alberto Melamed (Montijo), Salustiano Mojica (Soná), Humberto Sánchez (Río de Jesús), Ezequiel Rodríguez (Las Palmas) and Ángel Batista (Mariato), all from the province of Veraguas, have raised their voices in rejection of the transfer of 29 prisoners to the base of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) on the island of Coiba. The legal basis for this opposition is found in Law 44 of July 26, 2004, which granted Coiba a special legal regime of maximum protection. The transfer of high-security inmates to Coiba Island has sparked severe backlash from conservationists and scientists. While Panamanian authorities argue that isolating these prisoners at the Teniente Nelson Tenas aeronaval base is vital for national security and curbing transnational drug trafficking, the decision has reignited fierce opposition.
Environmental Risks
- UNESCO World Heritage Status: Coiba National Park is a protected UNESCO site famous for its thriving coral reefs and rare, endemic wildlife. Environmentalists warn that establishing permanent detention facilities threatens this delicate ecological balance.
- Threat to “Living Laboratory”: Researchers (such as those at the Coiba-AIP Scientific Station) consider the island an invaluable refuge of biodiversity. Human presence and potential waste from a prison facility pose significant pollution and disruption risks to ongoing scientific work.
- Impact on Sustainable Tourism: Conservation groups argue that bringing a penal colony back to a region working to transition into a nature-based ecotourism destination will severely harm conservation and tourism efforts.
The Rejection and Debate
- Scientific & Conservation Pushback: Conservationists, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, and researchers openly condemn the move, demanding that the island—once known as the “Alcatraz of Panama”—remain free from carceral operations.
- Security Justification: The Ministry of Public Security defends the transfer, citing the vulnerability of the Punta Coco detention center, where inmates were allegedly continuing to coordinate illicit gang and drug activities.
- Surrounding Narco-Activity: Officials highlight that Coiba’s remote, isolated nature is precisely why it is being used to curb maritime drug trafficking, viewing the naval base as a necessary countermeasure.
