The hearings of Operation Poseidon, held for five days, concluded at 2:00 in the morning this Sunday with the decision of the guarantee court to order the provisional arrest of 11 people and house arrest for two othersall allegedly linked to a criminal structure investigated since 2021.
It was established that the 13 arrested face charges for organized crime and money laundering. Among those sent to provisional detention is someone identified by the Prosecutor’s Office as the alleged leader of the criminal structure.
The precautionary measure was requested by the Specialized Superior Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crimeafter presenting to the court the elements collected during the investigation.
As part of the operation, 48 search procedures in the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Veraguas and Panama.
During these actions, they were seized eight vehicles, six boats, two outboard motors and a farmassets that are now part of the evidence incorporated into the investigation.
The investigations began in 2021 and, according to what was stated by the Prosecutor’s Office during the hearings, they allowed the reconstruction of different events allegedly related to the investigated structure.
In total, the Public Ministry presented 41 different events as part of the support of his theory of the case. These include drug seizures, weapons possession, homicide, attempted homicide and deprivation of libertyamong other facts.
The Prosecutor’s Office used these elements to support the existence of a criminal structure and request precautionary measures against the 13 arrested.
After five days of hearing, the court of guarantees accepted the request of the Prosecutor’s Office for 11 of the accused and established home deposit for the other twowhile investigations into organized crime and money laundering crimes continue.
Operation Poseidon is part of an investigation that remains open and began five years ago.
