Finding $10 million in gangland cash 💵

It took more than 12 hours to count all the money found inside a house in Panama, even using a dozen industrial cash counting machines. It came to $10,091,871 of suspected narco cartel money. Some interesting people were arrested for it.

The Mob Reporter here with news of the largest anti-organized crime operation in Panama’s history — called Operation Fisher — that reeled in a record catch of cash and the arrest of 57 people accused of working with Colombia’s prominent cocaine cartel, the Clan del Golfo. Several of those arrested are public officials: Five of them are police officers, one is in naval counter-narcotics, two work at the Panama Canal, another for the ministry of education. And one is a politician.

The group was active for several years receiving, guarding, hiding and moving large quantities of dope which arrived from Colombia in speedboats racing along the Atlantic coast, before being sent on to the United States, authorities allege.

Jorge Luis General, 35, was named in court as the leader of the local cell of the narcos. Court heard that another of those arrested is a politician.

Miguel Arturo Lynton was a candidate in the 2019 election. He used to work for the government’s tax office and now lists himself as a manager of an investment company. The political link caused a scandal in Panama, boosted by photos of Lynton posing with prominent officials, including a former president of the country, the leader of a political party, and a Supreme Court judge. It prompted political parties to fight over whose party Lynton represented at the time of the political coalition, with each party publicly pointing at the other. None of the allegations have yet been proven in court. Some came with receipts.

The police operation was supported by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It began in February 2020. There were wiretaps, video and physical surveillance involved, as well as a paper chase of company ownerships and assets. And at least one informant. The money laundering was allegedly facilitated by a lawyer who helped create and register companies in Panama to hide the source of the money, court was told. The companies were used to buy real estate, including homes warehouses and apartments, which were used the leaders of the group and as meeting places for co-conspirators. The hiding spot in the trucks and ocean interceptions shown in the video are archival footage not released as part of these raids.

Panama - MR.