Panama Supreme Court to Review US-Backed Drug Interdiction Program

by Okke Ornstein, NarcoNews (reposted)

Tue, Jun 17, 2008 8:19PM

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 The President of Panama's National Assembly, Pedro Miguel Gonzalez, has filed a demanda de inconstitucionalidad with the Supreme Court against the Salas-Becker Agreement. That agreement between Panama and the United States, signed in 2002, allows for joint patrols in Panamanian waters and the conduct of bilateral maritime police operations to prevent illicit activities such as drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and contraband transport. In reality however, the US has arrested, taken and jailed Panamanian suspects under the agreement without even letting Panama know about it and that, claims Gonzalez, is in violation of Panama's constitution.

One high-profile case that has prompted the legal move of Gonzalez was the arrest in 2006, supposedly in international waters, of the ship Perseus V which was found to be carrying a ton of cocaine hidden under a shipment of scrap metal. Captain and crew among which 7 Panamanian nationals, were all taken to the US and have been convicted on drug trafficking charges - something many in Panama regard as kidnapping. It later turned out that the ship moved on to Mexico with even more drugs on board, likely as part of some sting operation. The drugs and scrap metal all mysteriously vanished and eventually the head of Panama's Maritime Service, Ricardo Traad, was arrested on insistence of the DEA and charged with having sold the drugs and kept the profits. He spent some time in jail and was released when charges against him were dismissed. Supposedly, he only sold the scrap metal for a phenomenal amount of money, not the drugs.

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