crime

Village overrun with drugs

Police confiscated 776 kilograms of cocaine in Playa Leone last month on Sept. 25.

The coastal fishing village 40 minutes east of La Chorrera, is frequented by drug traffickers.

William Sala/LA PRENSA

Between the devil and the sea: Residents of Playa Leone say drug traffickers are frequent visitors to their community. 1100215

A half an hour west of the capital lies the coastal village of Playa Leone, where most of its 1,400 residents live off whatever the sea provides and try to avoid getting entangled in the burgeoning drug trade that threatens to end their once peaceful way of life.

Talking about drug trafficking in Playa Leone is like saying a dirty word in the middle of Mass, said Jose Cordero, a teacher at the village school. Those that dare speak of the problem only do so in a kind of code, as though speaking about it threatens to attract the same level of commotion that put the town on the map last month when police intercepted 776 kilograms of cocaine.

“Here we talk about other ‘types of fish’ that the sea washes up,” explained Seferino Mejia, a local fisherman.

Another fisherman, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the presence of narcotics traffickers is well-known there, and that their operations take place under the cover of the wee hours of the morning.

“They take advantage of the darkness and lack of vigilance," he said.

The criminals often burst into the community driving modern 4x4 trucks and head straight for the beach in search of their “catch of the day” in plain sight of villagers, recounted the weathered fisherman. Then they leave as briskly as they arrived.

“But it’s better not to see or know anything,” he said, adding that feigned ignorance is particularly important when shots are heard on the beach.

For fisherman Rigoberto Ramos, Playa Leone’s attraction as a hub for underworld activities has much to do with it being a virtual ghost town. When the high price of oil hit the community harder than anywhere else in the country, did anyone take notice? mused Ramos.

Another villager, Buena Ventura Coba, echoed the same sentiment.

“This is the only place where presidential candidates don’t come to ask for votes. And that’s how we are forgotten,” he said.

According to school teacher Cordero, abject poverty is another reason why the drug trade has put down such deep roots in the town. Of the school’s 144 students, most of them come from families whose daily income doesn’t exceed $6.

Though Playa Leone is not the only Panamanian village that has fallen victim to drug traffickers looking for hideouts on the Pacific coast, it’s unique characteristics make it one of the most ideal.

Following last month’s massive bust there by Policía Nacional agents, anti-drug prosecutor José Abel Almengor said Panama’s west coast region is, like the San Miguelito district, an area of "strategic importance," where authorities need to strengthen social infrastructure and a police presence to prevent the drug trade from becoming any further entrenched there.

Meanwhile, Cordero says he hasn’t lost hope that his students can break the cycle and make the village proud, because, as he added, it is "a population that deserves it.”