Panama is the most strategically located country in the Western Hemisphere for drug trafficking and other criminal activities. Panama is a crossroads for international crime because of its location between South America and North America. Panama's location next to Colombia, its long coastlines, numerous islands, and the Panama Canal make it a key staging point for drug shipments originating in Colombia for further shipment north. Panama's 225-kilometer land border with Colombia, its roughly 2,800 kilometers of Caribbean and Pacific coastline, and over 1,480 islands make for an almost impossible task of policing its borders. Additional factors making Panama attractive to drug traffickers are the weak Panamanian law enforcement and public security institutions, the large sophisticated international banking sector, the Colon Free Zone (CFZ), and the cargo container port facilities on both ends of the Panama Canal. Panama is also an international commercial air hub, with flights to the Americas, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe. Panama's airspace is uncontrolled and there are several smaller domestic airports in addition to the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City. Panama continues to be a major financial and commercial center for illicit financial transactions and drug smuggling. Money laundering remains the most serious drug-related problem in Panama. Panama's large and sophisticated banking and trading institutions, its U.S. dollar-based economy, and its proximity to Colombia make it an attractive target for money laundering.


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    Title :

    Country Profile: Panama, December 2001. Drug Intelligence Brief


    Publication date :

    2001


    Size :

    18 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English