Panama seizes 3 tons of cocaine

Panama City, Agency
Panamanian authorities seized three tons of cocaine near the Caribbean Sea, a short distance from the site where nearly eight tons of cocaine were seized less than two weeks ago, naval air service spokesman Vladimir Rodriguez told.

The cocaine was seized Monday near the mouth of the Calovebora River in the northern section of Veraguas province, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of Panama City, Rodriguez said.

Naval air service patrols are looking for several suspects "who headed for the mountains" when the bust occurred, Rodriguez said.

"A large operation is being conducted to capture the suspected drug traffickers and authorities from the drug enforcement prosecutor's office are heading to the site to take custody of the drugs found by the naval air service," the security agency said in a statement.

A total of 20.11 tons of drugs, not including the latest seizure, have been confiscated this year by the naval air service, officials said.

Panama's security forces have seized more than 80 tons of illegal drugs in 2010, exceeding the total of 54.3 tons of drugs seized in 2009, with cocaine accounting for the majority of the narcotics confiscated.