Panama arrests 26 Balboa port workers over cocaine trafficking
A two-year investigation targeted a network moving cocaine to Australia and Europe
Panamanian authorities have arrested 26 workers from the port of Balboa on charges of helping to turn the terminal into a hub for cocaine trafficking. The arrests followed a two-year international investigation and the execution of dozens of search warrants across the country in early July.
Investigators say drug cartels, chiefly from Mexico and Colombia, relied on corrupt port workers and contractors to move more than a tonne of cocaine that was later intercepted in Australia and across Europe. The operation drew on intelligence shared between Australian and Panamanian law enforcement and other international partners, who linked the alleged network to multiple seizures in Australia over roughly the past year.
Officials described the action as a strike at the heart of a major criminal organisation that sought to exploit international supply chains, and pointed to the role of intelligence sharing in tackling transnational crime. Located on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, Balboa is Latin America's leading transshipment hub, handling 2.6m TEU across its berths last year thanks to a location that connects Asia and the Americas.
Authorities note that Panama's long coastlines and its densely forested border with Colombia make the country a persistent target for traffickers, who also exploit its dollarised economy. The nation's ports together handled more than 9.9m TEU last year.
