The Public Ministry, through the Superior Prosecutor’s Office Specialized in Crimes of Illicit Association, represented by the prosecutor Yekaterina Quintero, after three days of ordinary hearing, requested the conviction of 22 people accused of the crime against collective security, in the modality of gang activity, where the Third Associate Liquidator Court of Criminal Cases of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama accepted the term to issue the sentence.
Prosecutor Quintero in her pleadings phase explained the connection of each of the accused and presented the evidence based on the elements collected during the investigation phase in the hearing, to reach the conclusion that these people were venturing into the gang crime and that they are members of the “El Trébol” gang, which operated in the districts of Pedregal, Juan Díaz and Las Mañanitas.
Within this investigation, 11 members of this gang have been sentenced, 3 for 85 months in prison, 3 for 81 months, 1 sentenced to 80 months, 3 for 72 months and 1 to 68 months in prison.
All these people were apprehended in the ‘Primer Tope’ operation, where several raids were carried out by the Public Ministry, in conjunction with the National Police, on January 13, 2017, in the communities of Juan Díaz, Pedregal, Villa Cecilia, Brisas del Golf and Las Mañanitas, where several residences were raided and firearms, vehicles and cash were also seized.
