Panamanian President José Mulino announced Thursday that he will impose a curfew in two areas of the country to “clean up” the streets of crime, and also ordered a sweep of airports to combat drug trafficking.
The curfew that prevents the free movement of the population will be in effect from “nine at night to five or six in the morning” in the Caribbean province of Colon and in the populous district of San Miguelito, adjacent to the Panamanian capital, he said.
“I hope that there is a curfew in those two places because they are perhaps the areas most affected by this gang issue. Drug trafficking has changed the entire criminal structure,” the president said at his weekly press conference.
Mulino did not specify the date on which this measure will come into effect.
In recent weeks, dozens of people have been arrested in Panama, including police officers and the son of a lawmaker, for their alleged links to gangs or drug trafficking.
According to the authorities, these gangs traffic drugs and launder drug money. In addition, most homicides in the country are linked to these criminal associations.
Tocumen Airport is a “hot terminal”
The president also announced a “cleansing” of airports, including Tocumen, the country’s main airport and a regional hub, which he called a “hot terminal,” as part of the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking.
Mulino instructed the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) to “intensify patrols on the coasts” and to “take over the security of all the country’s ports, including Tocumen.”
“Senan will be in charge of airport security while we clean up these transport terminals, especially in the cargo areas in regards to Tocumen, which is the hot terminal, and those who are listening to me know why I say this,” said the Panamanian president without further details.
Security at Tocumen International Airport is currently provided by the National Police, Senan and agents from the terminal itself.
Mulino, who took office on July 1 for the five-year period 2024-2029, said that Senan “will take control of the country’s airport security in the coming days.”
“We will work hard with them (Senan) to clean up these structures and I have asked the director of Customs to do the same at the country’s entrances (…) and to reinforce the entry points including the private ports,” he added.
Panama is used as a bridge for drugs produced in South America that are mainly destined for the United States, the world’s largest consumer of cocaine, and also Europe.
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