Panama creates drone unit to boost border security

Panama's Ministry of Public Security has launched a specialized drone unit, the Coant, to bolster its presence and capabilities along the nation's borders. This new company, part of the National Border Service (Senafront), will employ unmanned aircraft for enhanced strategic surveillance, real-time aerial intelligence gathering, and expanded territorial control.

The Coant is integrated into Plan Firmeza, the government's security strategy aimed at confronting organized crime and drug trafficking through technological advancements. The ministry stated that the unit will improve Senafront's operations in hard-to-reach areas, enabling quicker detection of illicit movements and supporting precise interventions in zones exploited by transnational criminal organizations for drug and arms trafficking.

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the Coant will allow for the improvement of Senafront operations in areas of difficult access, the detection of illicit movements with greater speed and support for precision interventions in zones used by transnational criminal organizations for the trafficking of drugs, weapons and other related crimes.

President José Raúl Mulino directed the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies to strengthen the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking, as part of a broader modernization of public security. Minister of Public Security Frank Alexis Ábrego emphasized that these tools reaffirm the government's commitment to equipping security forces with the technology needed to protect national sovereignty, consolidate territorial control, and maintain a firm response to criminal threats.

The implementation of the Coant aims to increase the state's presence in border regions, safeguard communities, and restrict operational space for criminal organizations, according to the Ministry of Security.

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the incorporation of these tools reaffirms the Government's commitment to equipping security forces with technology to protect national sovereignty, consolidate territorial control and maintain a firm response to the threats of organized crime.