crime

FARC teeth checked

Drug case prosecutor Jose Abel Almengor has ordered the Instituto de Medicina Legal to conduct forensic testing on the teeth of the six alleged Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) guerillas to determine their approximate age.

Almengor is seeking to resolve the controversy over the age of one of the suspects in particular, whose defense lawyer claims he is a minor. Colombian officials have yet to respond to Panama´s requests for information on the identities of the suspects.

The prosecutor said he also wants to know if the suspects have criminal records or are wanted by law enforcement in Colombia.

Prison officials confirmed that two of the suspects were taken to Hospital Santo Tomas yesterday morning, where they were treated for gunshot wounds received on February 22 when they exchanged fire with police off the coast of Jaqué, Darién. One took a bullet in the left knee and the other was shot in the right arm.

The suspects´s defense lawyer said that after receiving medical attention, his clients were escorted back to their cells by the Policía Nacional.

He also said that one of his clients had been refused adequate medical care for a severe case of gastritis. Prison officials made no comment.

The five men and one woman are being held on charges of drug trafficking, illegal weapon possession and conspiracy.