Weekly Report - 18 August 2011 (WR-11-33)

PANAMA | Breaking drugs records. The police discovered a cocaine processing laboratory on the banks of the Santa María River in the south central region of Coclé on the Pacific coast, the local press reported last week. This is the first cocaine processing laboratory discovered in Panama and the second in Central America after one was found in Honduras in March [WR-11-11]. The discovery of the labs serves as the latest sign that the sub-region is being used by drug gangs as more than just a transit point. According to the local press, five Colombians were arrested, prompting speculation of links to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc), whose presence in the country (chiefly in the border province of the Darién) President Ricardo Martinelli only acknowledged in June 2010 [WR-10-27].

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