Cocain Bust in Panama Driver Murdered

Driver murdered, 324 kilos of drugs seized
la prensa

Authorities seized 324 kilos of drugs in Penonomé that were hidden in a tractor-trailer.

Gabriel Mojica Chérigo, 33 years old, was shot down and killed yesterday at dawn by unknown delinquents, who intercepted the truck he was driving along the Pan-American Highway in Penonomé, province of Coclé.

The killers shot Mojica Chérigo in an effort to steal the drugs being transported in his truck, according to preliminary reports from the National Police (PN).

The reports further indicated that the victim was driving a tractor-trailer with license plate number 566887, headed toward the countryside of the Republic, when another vehicle, not yet identified, intercepted the truck, and its occupants fired several shots with a firearm at the driver. The criminals fled without taking the goods.

After hearing about the crime, officials from the police department, judicial investigation department, and senior drug prosecutor's office arrived on the scene, where they were able to seize the 324 kilos of drugs left behind. Subsequently, police enabled checkpoints and managed to capture four men, who are currently under investigation.

Meanwhile, Fernando Tapiero, secretary of the Prosecutor's Office on Drug-Related Crimes, noted that with this seizure, authorities have confirmed that there are huge quantities of illegal substances being moved through the sector, to which he responded that authorities would be setting up increased operations to intensify the fight against this crime in the area.

The official further informed that the large quantity of drugs being carried by the truck indicated that it was most likely destined to be sent to another country, probably through the Costa Rican-Panamanian border.