Panama: organized crime “earned” US$ 820 million moving migrants through the Darién

Last year, criminal organizations “they won” US$ 820 million moving migrants by Darien junglethe natural border between Panama and Colombiaand through which this year 54,547 people have already crossed heading north, as announced this Monday by the Panamanian authorities.

The Ministry of Security of Panama reported through a statement, and in the words of the minister of that portfolio, Juan Manuel Pino, that “Last year alone, the criminal organizations that move migrants through the thick Darién jungle earned an approximate figure of US$820 million.”

Both Pino and the Panamanian authorities have indicated on several occasions that criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo are profiting from this migratory exodus, composed mainly of South Americans seeking to reach North America to achieve better living conditions.

So far in 2024 alone, about 54,547 migrants They have already crossed that dangerous jungle, the majority being from Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti, China and Colombia, according to the statement released today.

“For us it is a challenge in terms of migration, since two aspects are combined, the humanitarian part and the national security part, because behind migration is organized crime”Minister Pino explained.

For this year, an increase in migrants in transit through the Darién of up to 20% is expected, after last year the record number of more than 520,000 travelers was registered, according to forecasts by the Panamanian immigration authorities at the beginning of February.

Given this, Pino stressed this Monday that “For this 2024, due to the inflows we are having, we predict that the number of irregular migrants will be higher than in 2023.”

For “counteract this action”, Panama’s security establishments have reinforced a campaign – which began in December 2023 and was extended until next July – with more ““land, naval and air forces that generate a superior blockade on the border with Colombia”according to official information.

Last week, at least five Afghan migrants, including a minor, died when the boat carrying 27 passengers – Afghans and Venezuelans – shipwrecked in the Caribbean, in which they were traveling to avoid crossing the Darien. Rescuers found lifeless bodies “stranded” in a rocky area.

The authorities reported that this precarious wooden boat was sailed “by criminals in a reckless manner” in a very complex area for navigation “due to strong waves” on a bad weather day.

“The indifference to these events is reprehensible, because it was a boat driven by coyotes who are dedicated to this scourge and expose the lives of migrants. “We are still rescuing the bodies, since there is bad weather and it is risky to reach the area,” emphasized the leader of the Security portfolio.

And he concluded: “Darién is not a route, it is a protected area, a lung of the Western Hemisphere. It is a dangerous jungle where you are going to risk your life to get through it.”