Provisional detention for 8 caught smuggling migrants

A guarantee judge imposed on Friday, April 14, the provisional detention of eight Panamanian citizens, for the alleged crime against humanity in the form of smuggling of migrants.

The accusation was in charge of the Darién Regional Prosecutor’s Office which obtained the precautionary measure of provisional detention by reminding the judge that their freedom could be a “danger for the victims and the migrant community.”

The investigation began on April 11, when agents of the National Border Service intercepted a group of nine people, including a minor, in the Sucurtí area, Metetí township, Pinogana district, facilitating and collaborating with the entry to a group of 38 migrants through a new smuggling route.

The migrants linked to the investigation are of Asian origin.