Panama drug trafficking and security response

Panamanian authorities have taken steps to address drug trafficking and organized crime through both individual deportations and systemic prison reforms.

In early August, Panama’s National Migration Service deported a Cuban-born U.S. citizen who was wanted in Florida on active arrest warrants for alleged cocaine trafficking and the sale of controlled substances. Officials stated the expulsion followed legal procedures and demonstrated cooperation with international law enforcement.

By late August, President José Raúl Mulino announced a strategy to relocate high-profile criminal figures to the Coiba prison facility. The administration aims to isolate these individuals from criminal structures and prevent the use of mobile phones to coordinate illegal activities, such as murders and drug distribution. Mulino noted that criminal activity in Panama is largely driven by gang disputes over territory and illicit goods. He also expressed support for reducing regional cocaine production, specifically through coca crop fumigation pilot plans in Colombia.