The National Police and the Third Section for Crimes against Economic Heritage carried out Operation Suitcase on Monday, May 22, in the provinces of Panama, Panama West, Colón, Chiriquí and Herrera, apprehending 43 people allegedly linked to a criminal group dedicated to the commission of the crime of Aggravated Fraud.
The type of scam being investigated by the authorities consists of the alleged shipment of suitcases, merchandise or packages from abroad through courier companies, which contained money or high-value items. These people requested their victims to pay the penalty and thus be able to access the packages or suitcases that a supposed family or acquaintance from abroad had sent them.
The authorities are investigating at least 50 complaints for this modality, which have caused an economic impact of approximately 320 thousand dollars. Among those apprehended are 11 women and 32 men, of whom 33 are nationals and 10 foreigners.
After several months of continuous investigation against this group of fraudsters, the development of the Suitcase operation was achieved with some 44 simultaneous raids on residences, apartments, shops and establishments where the suspects were staying.
During the searches, technological equipment such as cell phones, tablets, USB flash drives, cards and cell phone chips, as well as cash and various documents, have been seized.
