Panama’s Specialized Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime has laid out its case against the 13 people arrested in Operation Poseidon, presenting a judge with evidence gathered over four years of investigation. Prosecutors are seeking charges of money laundering, organized crime, and conspiracy to traffic drugs, tied to a network they say moved cocaine from Colombia through Panama’s Pacific coastal regions.
What Happened
During a hearing before a guarantees judge that began Tuesday, September 17, prosecutor Emeldo Márquez’s team summarized 46 “events” documented through surveillance operations, physical monitoring, telephone interceptions, and the testimony of a protected witness. The evidence, prosecutors argued, links the detained suspects to drug trafficking activities, homicides, attempted homicides, and illegal firearms possession across the provinces of Veraguas, Chiriquí, Los Santos, Coclé, and Panamá.
Central to the prosecution’s case is Carlos Pintano Almanza, a 38-year-old with studies in law and political science, whom prosecutors identified as the alleged leader of the criminal network. According to the prosecution, Pintano directed the organization’s operations from Rancho Don Lencho in Santiago, Veraguas, which served as its operational hub.
Prosecutors also described a fleet of vessels that pretended to offer tourist excursions in Veraguas and Los Santos. These boats, authorities say, were actually used to move drug shipments arriving from Colombia and transfer them to the mainland.
One key piece of evidence cited in the hearing was a seizure of 1.43 kilograms of cocaine that arrived on Panama’s coast via the Azuero peninsula. The package carried a GPS tracking device which, when traced, pointed back to Rancho Don Lencho as its point of origin.
The prosecution further linked the network to several violent incidents in Veraguas and Chiriquí that left three people dead and others injured. Officials also noted that some of those arrested in Poseidon had participated in the 2022 Operation Fortaleza, which resulted in 25 arrests and the seizure of $245,000 in cash.
On Friday, September 18, the suspects were brought to the accusatory penal system (SPA) facilities at Plaza Ágora for the corresponding hearing. In the coming days, prosecutors must justify the precautionary measures requested for each of the 13 detainees.
Background
Panama’s geographic position has long made it a key transit route for narcotics moving from South America toward North America and Europe. Coastal provinces along the Pacific, with their remote beaches and small islands, are frequently used by trafficking organizations to land and hide drug shipments before they are moved inland.
Operation Poseidon is not an isolated case. The 2022 Operation Fortaleza, which shares personnel with the current investigation, dismantled a separate network under similar circumstances. In both operations, prosecutors highlighted a common pattern: the use of isolated beaches and islets to conceal narcotics cargo.
The case is proceeding under Panama’s accusatory penal system, a judicial framework that includes hearings before guarantees judges, where prosecutors must present sufficient evidence to justify formal charges and pre-trial detention or other precautionary measures.
What This Means for Panama
The Poseidon case underscores the continued efforts of Panamanian authorities to dismantle organized criminal networks that use the country’s coastline as a drug corridor. The alleged use of tourism businesses as a front for trafficking is particularly significant, as it signals how criminal organizations embed themselves in legitimate local economies.
The connection to Operation Fortaleza also suggests that these networks persist — and in some cases regroup — even after major police interventions, raising questions about how effectively earlier arrests disrupted the organizations’ operations.
In the near term, all eyes will be on the upcoming hearings where prosecutors must substantiate the precautionary measures for each of the 13 suspects, decisions that will determine whether they remain in custody as the case moves forward. The protected witness’s testimony and the GPS evidence tied to Rancho Don Lencho are likely to be central points of contention as the defense responds to the charges.
This story was originally reported by La Prensa.