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Panamanian Penal Facilities - Resources, Protests, Legal Issues, Integrity, Census, Contraband, Security Breaches, Covid-19 Cases in Prisons, etc.


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Cops seize guns, knives, drugs, liquor, in jail raid

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OVER 2,000 National Police uncovered firearms, knives, drugs and liquor during a search of the Nueva Esperanza prison in the province of Colón on Wednesday, January !7.

They  also found homemade metal instruments, cigarettes, cell phones, scissors and cash.

Alonso Vega Pino, deputy director of the National Police, said that the search was part of operations carried out every year to remove items s that could cause injury to the inmates.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/cops-seize-guns-knives-drugs-liquor-jail-raid

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That was an impressive number of police to assemble for the operation.  I guess that was the point to prevent any violence during the raid.

It would be nice if they followed up by investigating the prison staff, too.  These items don't get into the prison without some of them being complicit.

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I can't spell
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The Prison Reform program includes plans for new staffing of prisons with pre-screened, trained individuals.

So far I believe that graduates of the new Custodian training centre have only been placed in the Chiriquí Pentitenciary and La Nueva Joya.

Whether the efforts make a difference in the institutions remains to be seen.

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Never seen anything like it.  It "looks" to be a semi auto bodge-up possibly based on a pistol frame.  It's a mess, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous.  Even a Kalishnikov is prettier than that thing.  I'd like to have a closer look at it to make sure, but that's not likely to happen!  Have to wonder if it has been modified into a full auto, that would explain the stock and front end as more fire control would be needed.

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$70 million Prison Tender Relaunched

The Ministry of the Interior in Panama is reconvening the tender for the design, construction and equipment of the new Colon Penitentiary Complex.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Due to complaints by the contestants, the public purchase process has been canceled repeatedly, with the latest one occurring in October of last year, when the three participating consortiums were disqualified.  

The new purchase by the Panamanian government has April 10 as the deadline for the receipt of offers, and a reference price of $70.4 million. See history of the tender process.

More details of the tender.

From a statement issued by the Ministry of the Interior:

Panama February 20, 2018.- -.The Ministry of Government, through the Purchasing and Procurement Directorate, wishes to inform interested parties of a second call to participate in the best value tender N ° 2017-0-04-0-03-LV-009437, for the "Study, design, construction and equipment of the New Colon Penitentiary Complex", with a reference price of B /. 70,405,353.20 million balboas.  

The bidders may examine or obtain the tender documents through the Panama Purchase website from the date until the day of the public act that will take place on April 10, 2018. The delivery of proposals is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the Nationality Hall, located on the second floor of the Headquarters of the Ministry of Government and the opening of envelopes will be at 10:01 a.m.   

A public visit to the project site will take place on March 5, which will depart from the MinGob facilities. Those interested in participating must request their quota in advance of the scheduled date for the visit, by request to the email consultas@mingob.gob.pa with a maximum of 3 people per proposer.  You can also request a CD containing the digital information of the plans or collect it from the Purchasing Department.   

In addition, a meeting has been planned for 9:30 a.m. on March 12 in the Nationality Hall, so that all participants can have their questions answered regarding the project's specifications.

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/70_million_Prison_Tender_Relaunched_1

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Panama  prison hunger strike

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A GROUP of prisoners in the La Nueva Joya Penitentiary Center are on hunger strike  says  The Ministry of Government, through the Directorate General of the Penitentiary System (DGSP).

They are complaining  about new  security controls in the institution

The Nueva Joya prison Director is mediating with the prisoners involved. A  government statement said that the DGSP  security measures are intended to maintain order, ensure compliance with human rights and security of all persons deprived of their liberty.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/panama-prison-hunger-strike

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Defense of prisoners locked in Panamanian insular prison sues the State

Thu, 06/07/2018 - 15:37

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The lawyers of the prisoners of the controversial prison of Punta Coco, located on an island in the Panamanian Pacific, filed several appeals before the Supreme Court to declare this criminal illegal, which has been questioned by various international organizations due to their harsh conditions of imprisonment.

"We were presenting two habeas corpus and an unconstitutionality lawsuit against resolutions or decrees that this government has created to try to legalize an act that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has indicated is illegal," he said Wednesday night. at press conference Kevin Moncada, lawyer for one of the detainees.

The Panamanian government informed on June 5 that transferred eleven highly dangerous prisoners to Punta Coco after undertaking several renovations and adapting the facilities to international standards.

The Panamanian Minister of Government, Carlos Rubio, said that the jail "respects the international standards of human rights, rehabilitation and security" and explained that the imprisonment of gang members in Punta Coco prevents them from using the jails to control their gangs.

Punta Coco, located on a military base of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) on Isla del Rey, more than 100 kilometers south of the Panamanian Pacific coast, was empty since August last year.

The government then announced that the prison was to be remodeled and that the inmates who were occupying it were going to be transferred to a modern maximum security prison located on the outskirts of the Panamanian capital and known as La Nueva Joya.

The announcement came after several international human rights organizations reported that the prisoners held in Punta Coco were subjected to conditions of extreme harshness and isolation.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urged the Panamanian government in early 2016 to transfer the 6 inmates serving sentences there to another prison, although Punta Coco was occupied again months later.

 

http://www.panamatoday.com/panama/defense-prisoners-locked-panamanian-insular-prison-sues-state-7007

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Panama empties island prison after judicial ruling declaring it illegal

Tue, 06/26/2018 - 21:43

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The Government of Panama announced today the transfer of the eleven prisoners serving sentences in the controversial Punta Coco prison, located on an island in the Panamanian Pacific, to other prisons in the country, after the Supreme Court declared it illegal.

The Government Ministry said in a statement that "it has complied with the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice, by transferring all the inmates who were in Punta Coco to other prisons in the country".

The plenary session of the highest court declared last Friday that the confinement of the eleven prisoners in that prison is illegal and ordered their immediate transfer to the prison centers where they were before. The ruling was issued in response to several appeals filed by the defendants.

Punta Coco, located in a military base of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) on Isla del Rey, more than 100 kilometers south of the Panamanian Pacific coast, has been noted for its harsh conditions of seclusion and isolation by several international organizations, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH).

The jail had been emptied since August last year, but on June 5 the Panamanian government reported that it had moved eleven highly dangerous prisoners there after undertaking several rebuildings and adapting the facilities to international standards.

The Panamanian Minister of Government, Carlos Rubio, said that the prison "respects the international standards of human rights, rehabilitation and security" and explained that the imprisonment of gang members in Punta Coco prevents them from using prisons to control their gangs.

The Ministry of Government once again said on Tuesday that the confinement in this prison "is just a response from the State to the actions of organized crime, based on the principles of security, protection of the legal right, rehabilitation and social defense, in addition to guarantee the safeguarding of extremely dangerous inmates".

The transfer of the eleven prisoners means that the prison center is emptied again, but it does not imply its definitive closure, according to the ministry in the same statement.

"It is also clear that Executive Decree No. 72 dated May 30, 2018, which creates the Preventive Detention Centers for Extremely Dangerous Inmates, is still in force," it added.

 

http://www.panamatoday.com/panama/panama-empties-island-prison-after-judicial-ruling-declaring-it-illegal-7191

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Deaths in La Joya  and La Joyita prisons

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Prisoners in La Joya
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The deaths of two prisoners who had none of the home comforts awarded to ex-president Ricardo Martinelli were announced by the Ministry of Government on Sunday, July 1.

Kenneth Thomson who had been held in  La Joyita while under investigation for homicide, died in Hospital Santo Tomas where he had been since June 21.

Marlon Roy Powell Eduardo, serving seven years for theft was found unconscious in his cell in La Joya. “He was attended by paramedics of SUME 911, who ruled his death,” said the Ministry statement.

“Once the facts were known, the protocol was followed to notify the next of kin and the rest of the competent authorities for the removal of the corpses and to begin with the procedural steps ordered by the current legislation,” concludes the official statement

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/deaths-in-la-joya-and-la-joyita-prisons

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La Joya Jail party time thwarted

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Units of the National Police (PN)  have detained 18 suspects who tried to introduce a shipment of alcoholic beverages, knives, blenders, televisions, medicines, cigarettes and other items into the La Joya Prison on Friday, July 13.

Commissioner Senén Castillo said that the arrest and seizure of the items was made after the police units spotted  three cars that were unloading the goods, presumably destined for the inmates

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/la-joya-jail-party-time-thwarted

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Four Offers to Build Jail for $70 million

In the tender process for the design, construction and equipping of the new Colon Penitentiary Complex, four proposals were submitted that ranged between $77 million and $75 million.

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

The Government Ministry stated that in the tender ceremony bids were received from Consortium CCJ Panama for $77.4 million, Consorcio Centro Penitenciario de Colón, for $77.2 million, Consorcio Desarrollo Penitenciario de Colón, for $74.9 million, and Consorcio Sistema Penitenciario de Colón, for $76.7 million.  

See more details of the tender.

From a statement issued by the Ministry of Government:

Some 4 companies submitted proposals in the best value tender for the "Design Study, Construction and Equipment of the New Colon Penitentiary Complex" project.

In the public act that had a reference price of B/.70, 405, 353.20, the CCJ Panama Consortium bid B/.77,400.00.00 for the works; For its part, the Consortium Centro Penitenciario de Colón offered B/.77, 200, 986.19 for the works; Consortium Desarrollo Penitenciario de Colón bid 74, 981,701.16 and Consortium Sistema Penitenciario de Colón proposed to carry out the work for B/.76, 737,784.04.

The future Colon Penitentiary Complex will be made up of two completely separate and independent centers, both physically and in terms of their administrative structure, which will house the male center with capacity for 1,570 inmates and the female center for a population of 76 inmates, making a grand total of 1,646 people.

The new resocialization complex in the Atlantic Coast will have: admission, requisition and entry buildings, accommodation or dormitory sites, health area, general, judicial and consular visiting areas.

In addition, it includes construction of school buildings, training and productive workshops, blocks for male and female guards, kitchen section and sports courts, as well as sites for spiritual or religious use, among other activities.

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Four_Offers_to_Build_Jail_for_70_million

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  • Moderator_02 changed the title to Panamanian Penal Facilities - Protests, Legal Issues, Census, Contraband, etc.
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UN slams Panama’s subhuman prisons

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The La Joya hell hole
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A United Nations report has found “subhuman” conditions in Panama’s two principal prisons La Joya and La Joyita and the country is five years behind in implementing the national mechanism for the prevention of torture.

The report by the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT)results from a visit to the country in August last year and it calls on the government  to activate the national mechanism of prevention against torture, adapt the criminalization of the crime of torture regulated in the Penal Code so that it is imprescriptible and to reinforce public defense for those deprived of liberty, as well as improving the conditions in the two prisons.

The report was made public last month past, after the endorsement of the Panamanian State, reports La Prensa

It reveals all the observations of the SPT after having visited prisons, police substations, psychiatric institutions and correctional facilities for young people, as well as detention facilities for migrants.

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Prisoners in a food line

Although the subcommittee recognized that Panama has had a series of legislative advances and institutions in the area of human rights, it received consistent allegations from people deprived of liberty who stated that they had been subjected to torture or ill-treatment in different circumstances.

The report also indicates that in many cases people deprived of liberty were frequently incommunicado.

“The subcommittee expresses its concern about the deficiencies of the public defense that should be granted to persons deprived of liberty. To the systematic question to those deprived of liberty If they received legal assistance from public defenders, the constant response was negative, “the document adds.

Ombudsman Awol
The Subcommittee also noted the limited presence of the Ombudsman’s Office in the  penitentiary centers

With regard to the national mechanism for the prevention of torture, which is responsible for carrying out regular inspections of places of deprivation of liberty, the international organization reiterated that Panama is five years behind in making this entity work.

Part of the report highlighted “unfortunate conditions” in the vast majority of Prisons visited. In La Joya and La Joyita, for example, the subcommittee found several pavilions had a “serious situation of subhuman conditions” of habitability, not only in terms of overcrowding but also in other topics such as humidity, poor ventilation, absolute lack of hygiene and garbage accumulation

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/un-slams-panamas-subhuman-prisons

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Government closes ranks with Varela after claims for controversial island prison

Fri, 09/14/2018 - 19:51

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The Government of Panama affirmed today that it will maintain its "frontal fight against drug trafficking and its main leaders", in reaction to a complaint lodged by lawyers against President Juan Carlos Varela for a controversial island prison, which the plaintiffs claim is illegal.

"No action by the defenders of highly dangerous subjects will diminish our determination and commitment to continue fighting to eliminate this scourge that affects our society so much," said a statement on Thursday by the State Communication Secretariat.

In its pronouncement, the Government highlighted that drug trafficking continues to be a risk for the region, "especially when there is support from people with political influence and from lawyers working for these groups, without taking into account the interests of the nation or the society".

It also stressed that in the last four years the country's homicide rate dropped almost 50 percent, of which more than 70 percent "are related to drug trafficking and organized crime."

"As a government we respect human rights and we reiterate our position to continue fighting these criminals to give Panama the security that Panama's society deserves," it said.

The legal action against Varela was filed by lawyer Kevín Moncada and two of his colleagues, on behalf of eight inmates currently detained in La Mega Joya prison, after being transferred from the Punta Coco prison, located on an island in Panamanian Pacific.

The Panamanian Parliament, now dominated by the opposition, is the only one constitutionally authorized to investigate the President of the Republic.

Moncada told reporters that the criminal complaint is for the alleged commission of crimes exceeding functions, omission of the duties of public officials and abuse of authority.

The lawyer explained that he sued Varela for dismissing two decisions of the Panamanian Supreme Court that declared the Punta Coco prison illegal.

The lawyer specifically stressed that "the provisional separation from duties is being requested" and "the opening, by the Credentials Committee specifically, of a trial against the president for disobeying rulings of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ)".

"This has been reiterated, and as we have seen in statements by the president in which he insists on the stubbornness of intending to reopen that prison, despite what the Court has already said twice and the wake-up calls triggered by international organizations to Panama for the Punta Coco issue," said Moncada.

The plaintiffs are demanding a global repair of 20 million dollars, according to the local channel TVN.

Varela said on June 27 that he expects the country's Supreme Court to reconsider the ruling that declared the insular prison illegal, since the inclusion of prisoners in that prison enables, in his opinion, the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking.

On June 15, the plenary session of the CSJ declared the confinement of eleven prisoners in the prison of Punta Coco as illegal and ordered their immediate transfer to the penitentiary centers where they were before, to which the Government agreed.

Punta Coco, located in a military base of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) on Isla del Rey, more than 100 kilometers south of the Panamanian Pacific coast, has been noted for its harsh conditions of seclusion and isolation by various international organizations, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH).

The jail had been empty since August 2017, but on June 5, the Panamanian Government reported that it had moved the eleven highly dangerous prisoners there after undertaking several renovations and adapting the facilities to international standards.

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/government-closes-ranks-varela-after-claims-controversial-island-prison-7848

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Panama Parliament approves resources for prison programs

Fri, 09/28/2018 - 16:07

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The Panamanian Parliament reported today that it approved an additional credit of $ 212,595 requested by the Ministry of Government for the payment of expenses related to the execution of programs, projects and workshops that are being developed in Panama's prison system.

The prison system in Panama is composed of 22 prisons, most of them in disrepair, housing 16,500 inmates, well above their actual capacity.

MPs also approved two transfers of items amounting to $1.5 million for the physical support of the "humanitarian hub".

"Regarding the transfers of items, the Minister of Government, Carlos Rubio, explained that these transferred resources will serve to maintain the facilities and infrastructure of the Regional Logistics Center for Humanitarian Assistance (HUMANITARIAN HUB)," the Parliament said.

Rubio said that "the resources are financed from the savings generated from the construction project of the Women's Center for Rehabilitation (CEFRE)," according to official information.

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/panama-parliament-approves-resources-prison-programs-7971

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  • Moderator_02 changed the title to Panamanian Penal Facilities - Resources, Protests, Legal Issues, Census, Contraband, etc.

U.S. Donates Body Scanners to La Joya Penitentiary

At a cost of $220,000 each, the U.S. Embassy has donated two new Full Body Scanners to the penal system to combat the introduction of cel phones, weapons, drugs, and other contraband to La Joya Penitentiary by visitors.

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http://laestrella.com.pa/panama/nacional/embajada-eeuu-otorga-escaneres-para-aumentar-seguridad-carceles/24086064

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Two dead one injured in jail gun battle

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Two inmates were killed and one injured during a gun battle that erupted in the  Nueva Esperanza Penitentiary in Colón on Monday, November 5. The incident has re-ignited concerns over the smuggling of weapons into Panama’s prisons.
 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/two-dead-one-injured-in-jail-gun-battle

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Alleged killers among three prison escapees

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TWO MEN awaiting trial in a  murder investigation and a prisoner serving seven years for theft escaped from La Joya Penitentiary on  Thursday, November 15.  They are Elías Monteza De Jesus, Alberto Artur Tuñón, who were in preventive detention for the alleged murder, and Edgar López serving time for theft and under investigation for crime against collective security. An alert has been issued and a  countrywide search is underway.
 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/alleged-killers-among-three-prison-escapees

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Panama begins the transfer of dangerous prisoners to controversial island prison

Fri, 12/07/2018 - 15:55

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Panamanian Government began today the transfer of twelve highly dangerous prisoners to a controversial island prison, which was reshaped after receiving complaints that its conditions violated the human rights of the inmates.

The Ministry of Government indicated in a noted that "after having met the necessary conditions and demanded by the Supreme Court of Justice, has begun the transfer of 12 high profile prisoners" to the Preventive Detention Center of Punta Coco, in an island of the Panamanian Pacific.

The transfer of the prisoners, it added, is done to "protect society", as well as to safeguard their own "physical integrity", and the center "guarantees the best conditions of detention, compliance with fundamental guarantees and the preservation of the judicial processes".

Punta Coco, located on a military base of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) on Isla del Rey, more than 100 kilometers south of the Panamanian Pacific coast, has been noted for its harsh conditions of seclusion and isolation by various international organizations, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

The Official Gazette published on Thursday a resolution of the Ministry of Government authorizing the reopening of the controversial prison and ensures that Punta Coco "is suitable to be used again for the purposes it was created," that is, to house high-risk prisoners and prevent them from continuing to control their criminal gangs.

The Panamanian Minister of Government, Carlos Rubio, told reporters on Thursday that, after the new renovations, Punta Coco "complies with all international and local regulations."

In March 2016, the IACHR asked the Government to take measures to end the "isolation situation" of six gang leaders imprisoned in Punta Coco and the Government finally decided to transfer them to other centers and empty the island prison.

The authorities reported in August 2017 that they had started some refurbishment works in the prison and in June 2018 they sent 12 inmates there.

But the same past June the Panamanian Supreme decreed illegal the detention in Punta Coco of the 12 inmates, which forced the Executive of President Juan Carlos Varela to remove them from the place.

President Varela then regretted the judicial decision arguing that the inmates who were in Punta Coco were "responsible for a large part of the drug trafficking" in Panama, and that their imprisonment there prevented them from continuing to give orders and controlling their criminal gangs.

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/panama-begins-transfer-dangerous-prisoners-controversial-island-prison-8612

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Extreme danger” prisoners moved to maximum security jail

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TWELVE prisoners categorized by the authorities as highly dangerous criminals were transferred to the re-opened P maximum security  Punta Coco prison on Friday, December 7.

An official source said that  Eliécer Chanis and his son, Ismael Cueto, Carlos Mosquera, Moisés Murillo, Carlos Yao, Azael Ramos, José Cossio, Ricauter Villasanta, Cooper Gamaliel and Luis Hernández alias ‘Ninin’ were moved.

The Ministry of Government through the General Directorate of the Penitentiary System said that the transfers took place after having met the necessary conditions demanded by the Supreme Court.

They added that they seek to protect society, as well as the physical integrity of extremely dangerous people deprived of freedom.

According to the National Police, since the Judicial Organ ordered in June of this year the transfer of the inmates of Punta Coco to the Penitentiary System the trend of reduction of homicides went from -6 to more than 39 homicides.

Kevin Moncada, who represents 11 who next week will move to Punta Coco next week and the government has not complied with the court ruling and there will be the need to introduce an incident of contempt.

He added that the government violates the presumption of innocence of his clients, because several of them have not been condemned.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/extreme-danger-prisoners-moved-to-maximum-security-jail

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Panama’s most dangerous drug lords in max jail

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Posted 11/02/2019
 
The majority of the 13 detainees in the  Punta Coco maximum security prison, on Isla del Rey, are allegedly linked to the Úsuga cartel clan in Colombia, and the Sinaloa in Mexico

The Úsuga cartel is the main drug cartel in Colombia and has over 3000  men in the country. The Sinaloa cartel operates in most Mexican states.

Seven o the prisoners were captured abroad for allegedly trafficking drugs from Colombia to Panama and dispatching them to Mexico for the Sinaloa cartel The rest were on the list of the most wanted and highly dangerous for links to crimes, gangs, and drug trafficking. with long records including multiple jailbreaks and political links, reports La Prensa.

One of the most dangerous detainees is Moisés Murillo Barberena (alias Moi), who was arrested in a joint operation with the Colombian police.

Moi is credited with being the leader  of the “Kill the Nasty,”  network which stopped being a local  gang to become linked to the Úsuga cartel.,

Murillo coordinated the shipment of drugs from Colombia to members of Kill the Nasty and then transported to the Sinaloa  Cartel.

HE Murillo was arrested after Operation Omega when in which four tons of drugs were seized and 18 others arrested. He was also investigated for his alleged participation in the death of a teacher in Rio Abajo in 2012, but in 2015 his detention was declared illegal.

On February 6, Murillo faced a hearing in the Second Criminal Court for drug-related crimes for his alleged participation in a criminal network based in Rio Abajo, which was dismantled when 33 were arrested and two tons of cocaine seized.

Another detainee in Punta Coco is José Cosio, considered by the authorities to be one of the most wanted criminals. He was arrested in, 2015, in Costa Rica.

His criminal record shows that in 2005, he was linked with the theft of $2.5 million from to the Bank of China in the Colon Free Zone, He was sentenced to six years in prison, but he was released a year early

In 2010 he was arrested in the US and sentenced to six years. He requested to serve his sentence in Panama and was sent to La Joya. He was transferred to the Nueva Esperanza prison in Colón, where he deprived a second lieutenant of the National Police of liberty and was taken back to La Joya.

In September 2014, he escaped and took refuge in Costa Rica, where he was captured months later.

Azael Ramos De Gracia, 35, linked to drug trafficking, and homicideRamos also have two escapes on his record, one in October 2008 when, with five others i, he escaped from La Joyita prison, but was recaptured in September 2009.

In March 2010, during a transfer to the Santo Tomás Hospital, he and other inmates injured one of the guards and escaped. He was recaptured two years later and taken back to La Joyita.

Carlos Enrique Mosquera another of the highly dangerous is linked to the seizure of 320 kilos of cocaine, weapons and luxury cars on a farm in Sajalices, Chame. The seizure took place during Operation Calitín.

Mosquera is linked to the PRD deputy Alfredo Pérez as both appear as executives of the company Versage International, Co. SA. In addition, both are officers at Rapid Cash, SA and Agro Darién, SA

ANother inmate is Ricaurte Villasanta, who was captured in Cartagena, Colombia,  in, 2016, after illegally entering the e country through the Chocó, Darién region. According to Colombian authorities, he was coordinating the shipment of drugs to Panama for that region.

He escaped from El Renacer prison in, 2008, and is facing a 41-year sentence in Costa Rica for drug trafficking.

Carlos Enrique Candanedo Yau, aka as Chino Candanedo, is another of the prisoners He was a fugitive since 2015 and was arrested in Colombia along with Ismael Cueto Bethancourt, in July 2017. Both were wanted in Panama for involvement in gang crime.  They are linked to the Sinaloa Cartel,

The last to enter Punta Coco, on Thursday, February 7, was Manuel Domínguez Walker, arrested in 2018 in the El Gallero operation.

The network led by Dominguez Walker introduced drugs along the coasts of Los Santos and buried them it in safe places, later sending them it by land in double-bottomed vehicles to Central America. Authorities suspended Losa Santos mayor Eudocio Pany Pérez for his alleged participation in the network but a court ordered his reinstatement.

The network is linked to the confiscation of 2.1 tons of drugs, $1.2 million, 28 luxury vehicles, four 4 residences and location for social events.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panamas-most-dangerous-drug-lords-in-max-jail

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OPINION: Organized crime Panama penetrationo

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Posted 11/02/2019
 
Organized crime has gone beyond the borders and capacities of countries. In the United States, for example, to judge a figure like Joaquín ChaponGuzmán, respecting his presumption of innocence and his rights, have had to take extraordinary security measures. In Mexico and Colombia, for their part, crime defies the State completely. Panama does not escape this terrible reality. Corruption has penetrated prisons, security forces, politics, the Public Prosecutor's Office and even the Judicial Branch. Faced with this situation, the State has undertaken a strategy of controlling the most dangerous criminals with alleged connections to international cartels. The Punta Coco prison is not a perfect solution, however, the adjustments and modifications undertaken by the Government have made it appropriate to respect human rights. The history and profile of detainees demand permanent monitoring of their actions and, at the same time, It demands that citizens stay alert about this criminal. While fighting organized crime, we must work seriously to prevent its growth LA PRENSA. Feb 11
 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-organized-crime-panama-penetrationo-1

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3 convicted killers in Carnival jailbreak.

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Posted 06/03/2019
 
Three convicted killers serving jail sentences totaling 110 years escaped from the La Joyita prison during Carnival.

All three were in Pavilion  13 of the jail and are listed as dangerous.

The Ministry of Government (MinGob) reported on Tuesday, March 5  the flight of Gustavo (aka. Taqui) Sinisterra,25, serving  25 years,  Alberto Caballero (Chiasito) Mojica, 23, serving 50 years for a double murder, and Cristopher Walet (Chin)  Pérez 25,  serving 35 years.

An Investigation into the escapes has been opened and a countrywide hunt is underway.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/3-convicted-killers-in-carnival-jailbreak

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Deals for sale by penitentiary officials

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Posted 27/03/2019
 
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has called for the conviction of six ex-employees of the National Penitentiary System (SPN) for corruption.

The hearing in the First Criminal Court concluded on Tuesday, March 26. The investigations began in August 2016 after an alleged network of corruption in the SPN was revealed.

Those on trial were accused of being members of a corruption network within the SPN, which in combination with individuals ordered precautionary measures, such as release and transfer, reduced sentences and altered documents to detainees in the prisons. Joya, La Joyita and the Female Rehabilitation Center.

During the investigation, the Public Ministry managed to prove that relatives of an inmate of the Feminine Rehabilitation Center were scammed by the group, which received a payment of $8 000.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/deals-for-sale-by-penitentiary-officials

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Another La Joya jail break

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La Joya escapee

Posted 11/05/2019

Nelson Beitia Bedoya, who entered Panama’s  Penitentiary System on June 8, 2014, and is awaiting trial in Darién province, for crimes related to drugs possession, explosives trafficking and money laundering escaped from La Joya Prison on Friday, May 10. He also has a sentence of 48 months in prison for crimes related to drugs, imposed by Panama's First Circuit Court of Guarantees.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/another-la-joya-jail-break

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