19,000 migrants in Necoclí seek to cross to Panama 2:19
(CNN) -
The Panamanian authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of 20 Panamanians and one Venezuelan as alleged members of a criminal organization dedicated to the illegal trafficking of migrants.
“The operation sought to combat an organized criminal group that was engaging in the smuggling of migrants from Panama, crossing the border with Costa Rica, and later taking the migrants to the Nicaraguan area,” said prosecutor Emeldo Márquez, in charge of the First Superior Prosecutor's Office Against Organized Crime.
The judicial official added that these people were captured at immigration reception centers or when they fled from them, and that the final destination was the United States.
He explained that raids were made in several provinces of Panama in search of evidence that linked these people.
Technological equipment and cash, three vehicles and a boat allegedly involved in the illegal activity were found, Márquez explained at a press conference.
United States will deport majority of Haitians under bridge 3:03
The prosecutor assured that evidence was found that some 40 people, including Haitians, Cubans and extracontinentals, had been trafficked, evading the controls of the authorities.
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The authorities called this operation "Twilight" and it was binational in nature in collaboration with Costa Rica, where, it was reported, another 24 people were arrested.
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