(LAHT) Panamanian authorities seized 1,025 kilos (2,257 pounds) of cocaine in the Caribbean province of Colon, 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of the capital, a senior prosecutor said Tuesday.
The seizure of the drug, found in 41 nylon bags, took place Dec. 31 in a mountainous area of the town of Cocle del Norte, chief counternarcotics prosecutor Nathaniel Murgas told a press conference.
“For the moment we have made no arrests. Investigations were carried out around the scene but we were unable to identify anyone linked to the drug consignment,” Murgas said.
He said that also confiscated in the operation was a 32-foot speedboat anchored to the banks of the Chiquero River, which had some 12 fuel tanks hidden inside.
The drug is thought to have been on its way to the United States, since “this is the route that these criminal organizations normally take,” he said.
Murgas added that the country’s Caribbean region is not only used by criminal organizations for shipping drugs, but also for taking on fuel, dining and getting some rest.
Panamanian authorities confiscated more than 75 tons of cocaine last year.