Ten children in the hands of an alleged network of sexually abused minors were rescued during a police operation that led to the arrest of three people, in Panama and Costa Rica, the Panama prosecutor's office announced on Thursday.
"The victims are (aged) between 4 and 16 years old and the persons connected (s.s. with the case) are close relatives" of the minors, explained the Panama Attorney General, Emeldo Markes.
The three detainees "helped" send children from Barrow, 525 kilometers southwest of Panama City, on the border with Costa Rica, where he was sexually abused, according to Markes.
In a press release, the prosecutor's office clarified that ten minors were rescued. A police operation carried out by the Pan-American authorities in Baru resulted in the dismantling of the network.
Authorities in Costa Rica say they have arrested a national and two Panamanian nationals in San Jorge and Laurel, two border towns. Defendants in this case face up to 20 to 30 years in prison if convicted.