Colombian held with 30 marijuana seedlings in Vacamonte
Police arrested a Colombian man at a home in Vacamonte, Arraiján, seizing 30 suspected marijuana seedlings, a shotgun and ammunition during Operation Santander. The detainee and the seized items were placed at the disposal of the competent authorities for investigation and legal proceedings.
During an intelligence-led action named Operation Santander, police apprehended
a Colombian man at a residence in the corregimiento of Vacamonte, in Arraiján
district, Panamá Oeste.[1]Police units had located the residential property
through intelligence work before executing a search-and-registration procedure
there.[1]Officers carried out that search in coordination with the Public
Ministry.[2]
Inside the residence, officers seized 30 seedlings of suspected marijuana.[2]Officers also seized a shotgun at the property.[1]Officers also seized
ammunition found alongside the weapon and the seedlings.[2]Officers found
several bottles containing suspected fertilizer during the same search.[1]Officers also collected other items at the residence.[2]
The apprehended man and all the seized items were to be placed at the disposal
of the competent authorities.[1]Those authorities were to continue the
investigation and carry the case through the legal process.[2]
Photos and video
Police handout photo of the seized suspected marijuana seedlings. Photo: Policía NacionalPhoto details
The reports give no separate date for the search itself; 16 September 2026 is the publication date of both the police statement and the TVN article.
No name, age or further identity of the detained man was published beyond his Colombian nationality.
No charges, custody decision or court outcome were reported; the case was still to be placed before the competent authorities.
The amount of suspected fertilizer and the nature of the other seized items were not specified.
The Policía Nacional page displays a photo gallery of the operation, but no absolute image addresses could be recovered from it, so only the TVN-published police handout photo is listed.
Panama’s Senafront border service seized 914 rectangular packages of suspected marijuana in Playa Muerto, Darién, detaining two people. The operation also netted phones, GPS devices and a twin-engine boat, with detainees and evidence handed to prosecutors.
Senafront detained one person after two raids in Pueblo Nuevo, Darién, seizing plant material presumed to be marijuana, powder presumed to be cocaine, unfired ammunition, phones and cash. The person and the evidence were handed to the authorities for legal processing.
A judge in Chiriquí approved a plea agreement on 5 October 2026 and sentenced three foreign nationals aged 27, 29 and 32 to 11 years for international drug trafficking, two days after the aeronaval service intercepted a boat carrying 2,852 packages of cannabis south of Punta Burica.
A Panama court sentenced two Colombian men to 13 years in prison for international drug trafficking and for altering a vehicle used to move drugs, the Public Ministry said. The case began on 12 March 2026 when a maritime patrol found them aboard a boat south of Punta Burica with 5.4 kg of marijuana and 621 g of cocaine.
