Senator Hagerty Questions Panama Ambassador Nominee on Drug Trafficking and Border Security

Drug Trafficking Through Panama

• 🎯 Senator Hagerty highlights that transnational criminal organizations use Panama to smuggle illicit drugs, estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
• 📈 The State Department estimates that up to 40% of cocaine produced in Colombia transited through Panama's exclusive economic zones last year.
• ⚠️ These organizations have operated with impunity, profiting billions by bringing drugs into the United States.

Panama's Role and Cooperation

• 🤝 Panama can play an outsized role in cooperating with the U.S. to seize illicit drugs and scale down criminal organizations.
• ✅ Ambassador nominee Kevin Cabrera commits to using all available tools to ensure Panamanian government collaboration with the U.S. against criminal organizations and drug flow.
• 📊 Cabrera notes significant success in the past 60 days, with a 95% decrease in crossings through the Darién Gap, a key transit point for drugs and migrants.

Panamanian Efforts and U.S. Support

• 🏆 Panama has been a strong ally, seizing over 100 metric tons of drugs in each of the last four years, ranking first in Central America.
• 🚁 The U.S. has supported Panama with resources like helicopters and boats to aid in combating traffickers.
• 🔗 Cabrera emphasizes that stopping drug flow and addressing migration are interconnected issues.
• 🤝 Senator Hagerty offers his office's resources to support Cabrera's mission if confirmed as ambassador.