Panamanian authorities seized a record amount of drugs in 2021, a total of 126 tons, mainly cocaine, the Central American Ministry of Security announced yesterday Sunday.
In comparison, in 2020 81,7 tons were confiscated, in 2019 86,8 and in 2018 76,8, according to the figures quoted by the ministry in a press release published.
As part of the fight against drug trafficking, the Panamanian authorities also seized more than 12 million US dollars in cash and arrested 710 people, the press release states.
The seizures took place off the coast of the Pacific, off the coast of the Caribbean and at airports. The Navy confiscated 86.332 packages of drugs, the police 29.525, the border service 11.011, the ministry listed.
The province where the largest seizures took place, mainly in containers, was Colon (north-central): the amount of drugs found there reached 50 tons.
This was followed by the province of Tsiriki (20 tons) and that of Panama (18), always according to the press release issued by the ministry.
(KYPE-APE-BPE-Reuters / MAN / GBA)