Panama's Gang Landscape: 121 Active Groups Mapped

Panama currently hosts 121 active gangs, strategically positioned across vital areas including the Panama Canal transit zone, port infrastructure, and densely populated neighborhoods in Panama City and Colón, as well as coastal regions and major interior cities. Criminologist Tirso Castillo traces the origins of this gang phenomenon to the 1989 invasion, noting its intensification with the rise of regional drug cartels.

Castillo warns that "gang members are no longer just from working-class neighborhoods," highlighting the involvement of these groups in money laundering schemes. The Directorate of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) has identified a structured network divided into eight major criminal franchises. These organizations specialize in a range of illicit activities, from the logistics of international drug trafficking to street-level drug sales and contract killings.

Notable groups identified by law enforcement include Manzana Cero, Los HP, Los Elefantes, and Mafia Filipina in Panama City; Sinaloa in San Miguelito; G4, Killa, and Roca in Colón; and historical structures like Calor Calor and Bagdad. The criminal landscape has undergone significant restructuring due to high-impact operations and the neutralization of key leaders.

Operations targeting the Bagdad gang, originating from El Chorrillo, have led to numerous arrests and extraditions. For instance, 'Operation Neptuno' in 2021 resulted in 19 arrests, while 'Operation Corintios' in 2022 saw 13 individuals imprisoned. In 2023, leaders were captured or repatriated, including Jaime Powell ('Yunya') in Madrid and Jorge Rubén Camargo ('Cholo Chorrillo') extradited from Costa Rica to the U.S. 'Operation Combate' in 2024 dismantled the Bagdad Santa Eduviges faction, seizing weapons and cash, and leading to the extradition of its alleged leader from Spain.

The rival Calor Calor network has persisted despite the incarceration of its main leaders. Eduardo Macea, known as 'Marshall,' was arrested in 2019 and reportedly continued operating from a maximum-security prison. 'Operation Fuego' in 2022 exposed the gang's infiltration into key sectors, arresting 40 individuals, including port workers, medical personnel, a police officer, and a local representative. 'Operation Bururu' in 2024 located this network in coastal areas of Veraguas.