The Minister of Public Security, Juan Manuel Pino, reported that in the binational operation “Horus”, Panamanian and Costa Rican authorities rescued alive a Panamanian minor under 13 years of age, a victim of human trafficking and who was in the power of a man in Costa Rican territory.
The information was released by Minister Pino, after leaving a working meeting with his Costa Rican counterpart, Jorge Luis Torres, with whom he made an air tour of the border area shared by both countries.
Minister Pino said that the case of the minor and that of the man linked to this crime are in the hands of the competent authorities.
The meeting of the Security Ministers of Panama and Costa Rica took place in the Laurel sector in Costa Rican territory, where it was agreed to strengthen the exchange of information and the coordination of joint patrols against common crime in the border area.
It was also decided to establish strategies and exchange of specific information, to carry out joint investigative operations against structures dedicated to drug trafficking and organized crime.
The Costa Rican Minister of Security said that these meetings are held to reinforce joint actions to confront organized crime.
As a result of the joint work and collaboration between both countries, the case of the theft of containers in Costa Rica, which in one month has already dropped from 15 cases to two and the merchandise from those reported events was recovered.
Joint actions are expected to continue to give peace of mind to residents of the border area of both countries.
The deputy director of the National Border Service, Luis Trejos, the director of the National Aeronaval Service, Jeremías Urieta, and other security officials from the two countries also participated in the meeting.
During the meeting, the migration issue was also reviewed, in order to reinforce surveillance between the two countries and to prevent this humanitarian issue from being taken advantage of by organized crime to commit crimes, to the detriment of people with families and in a state of vulnerability.
