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Panama police picked up and alleged pyramid scheme boss November 19, 2008. Colombia has been closing offices and arresting people for the last week are so in an effort to close down a money laundering and pyramid scheme operation in that country. The alleged boss of the operation, David Murcia Guzmán, was arrested in Campana, Panama on November 19 despite being accompanied by 14 bodyguards. The Spanish word for body guard is guardaespaldas which is literally “guard the back”. Apparently all those bodyguards were behind Señor Murcia when the police arrested him.

According to Colombian TV (Caracol, Channel 54) and the Colombian press there has been a man hunt in Colombia for Señor Murcia as the police have shut down his operation. Most of the press has had to do with the pyramid scheme by which the alleged crime boss was increasing his holdings but it turns out that the money apparently came from drugs and the pyramid scheme was set up to launder the drug money.

Colombia

Colombia has been fighting a civil war for over forty years. With the accompanying civil disorder has come drug trafficking and kidnappings. In the last year Colombia has had increasing success in rescuing hostages including a former presidential candidate who had been held for eight years. News of the assassination of the head of the largest rebel group, FARC (Armed Forces of the Revolution in Colombia) came within the month. With the rolling up of a drug money laundering operation seemingly run by organized crime in Colombia and the arrest in Panama of its head, Colombia seems to be making headway in restoring civil order.

Colombian authorities requested help from the Panama authorities in finding David Murcia Guzmán and now, according the Colombian press, are formally requesting extradition. Panama, by the way, is looking into how David Murcia Guzmán got into Panama and if the alleged crime boss was laundering any money in Panama.

Panama Crime

According to statistics Panama has one of the lowest crime rates in Central America with only Costa Rica having a lower crime rate. Despite this fact, crime, especially murder, has been a political issue in Panama as the election campaign for president heats up. In fact, when one asks older Panama residents about the possible return of Manuel Noriega from US prison there are two responses. The more predominant is, “es basura” or “he is garbage” and the individual hopes that Noriega stays away forever. The other response is that when Noriega military dictatorship and private army ran Panama, street crime was less and more harshly dealt with. Maybe if he came back, the individual says, there would not be so many murders.

Panama Crime and Panama Law Enforcement

Panama routinely intercepts drugs moving overland from Colombia to Mexico for distribution into the USA. In addition Panama routinely arrests crime bosses in charge of the transportation of those drugs. The news in Panama recently included the arrest of a Mexican organized crime figure after a large cocaine bust as well as the arrest of a Colombian crime figure while he was eating at a Panama City restaurant.