Panama has seized one of the largest shipments of cocaine in its history, intercepting approximately 12 tonnes aboard a ferry headed for the United States.
Ten people aboard the vessel were arrested during the bust, which occurred on Monday in the Pacific Ocean, Prosecutor Julio Villareal confirmed during a press conference.
Those arrested included individuals from Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The ferry had departed from Colombia, Villareal added.
Authorities noted it was the largest seizure since 2007, when 19 tonnes of cocaine were intercepted in Panamanian Pacific waters. They reported confiscating a total of 124 tonnes of drugs in 2024 so far.
Panama serves as a transit hub for cocaine shipments originating in South America, particularly Colombia, on their way to the United States, the world’s largest consumer of the drug.
Latin American countries are highlighting their anti-drug trafficking efforts as the United States has deployed a military fleet in the region since August, claiming it aims to dismantle narcotics networks.
The operations carried out by the US have resulted in at least 76 deaths so far in maritime strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific.
However, Venezuela has accused Washington of using its military presence as a strategy to topple President Nicolás Maduro and gain control of the nation’s oil reserves.
