Under the leadership of Minister of Public Security Frank Ábrego, Panama has strengthened its role as a key partner in regional security. The country has intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking, curb irregular migration through the Darién region, and safeguard strategic infrastructure such as the Panama Canal. These efforts have been supported by close collaboration with the United States and other international partners through intelligence sharing, joint operations, and expanded security training.
In this interview with Diálogo, during the Americas Counter-Cartel Conference, held in early March, Minister Ábrego discusses the growing challenge posed by transnational criminal networks and the importance of coordinated hemispheric responses. He highlights Panama’s operations in the Darién, expanding cooperation with international partners, and initiatives to strengthen cybersecurity and protect the Panama Canal. He also addresses Panama’s role as a regional hub for security cooperation and training, including PANAMAX 26, which is expected to return large-scale operational activities to Panamanian territory.
Diálogo: Thank you for speaking with us during the Americas Counter-Cartel Conference. What were your impressions of the conference and of the creation of this first gathering?
Panama’s Minister of Public Security Frank Ábrego: I found it extremely interesting to hear from senior U.S. defense officials, including the head of U.S. Southern Command, General [Francis L.] Donovan, as well as others who accompanied Secretary of War [Pete Hegseth] in presenting their vision for security in the Americas.
The importance of seeing ourselves as a unified region, rather than as fragmented countries, was emphasized. There was also an acknowledgment regarding certain immigration and defense policies the United States may have had in recent years. As close allies, partners, and friends, we have adapted to those policies over time.
I believe a positive shift will emerge from this, particularly in strengthening the fight against narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.
Today we understand that major drug trafficking organizations are no longer focused solely on trafficking drugs. They also seek influence over political power, economic power, and even social power, largely because of the enormous financial resources they control.
As I often say, we still do not fully know the true economic scale of global drug trafficking. We begin to understand it when operations uncover companies involved in these activities, and sometimes we are surprised by how deeply drug money has penetrated certain countries.
Diálogo: Let’s discuss Panama’s cooperation with the United States. How do you assess the current state of this security alliance, particularly regarding the protection of Panama’s vital maritime corridors?
Minister Ábrego: There is no U.S. security agency or department with which Panama does not collaborate. We work with the DEA, the FBI, the Coast Guard, U.S. Southern Command, and many other agencies that combat drug trafficking, corruption, and terrorism. Panama has always been ready to cooperate.
In the maritime domain, we rely on the National Air and Naval Service (SENAN), the National Border Service (SENAFRONT), and the National Police. These institutions coordinate operations at sea based on intelligence and information provided by the United States and other partners such as France, the United Kingdom, and neighboring countries like Colombia.
There is a constant exchange of information. We also share the intelligence we obtain, and we maintain strong cooperation with these partners.
For us, the key priority is preventing drugs from entering our country and ensuring they do not move onward to our neighbors. We do everything possible to intercept these shipments, and I believe Panama has been very successful in this effort. In fact, we are among the leading countries in Latin America in terms of drug seizures.
Diálogo: In April 2025, Panama and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding. How has this agreement translated into concrete operational improvements for Panama’s security forces?
Minister Ábrego: We have expanded the training of our units operating at sea, in the jungle, and even in urban areas as part of the fight against drug trafficking. We have also received additional equipment compared with previous years.
This year we expect to receive even greater support to strengthen our efforts against drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. These improvements are already visible in our country. We hope this cooperation continues, helping Panama become an even safer nation while contributing to greater regional security.
Diálogo: Panama has made significant progress in operations in the Darién, where irregular crossings have dropped dramatically. How has regional and international cooperation contributed to these results?
Minister Ábrego: Previously we had a program called Controlled Flow, through which we closed most of the border crossings that were open two years ago. Later we transitioned to a humanitarian corridor and informed our counterparts in Colombia that Panama would no longer allow irregular migrants to cross, because for us that constituted human trafficking.
Criminal organizations such as the Cartel del Golfo were profiting from human suffering. Migrants had to pay large sums of money to cross the Darién, and many people lost their lives or suffered human rights abuses along the way.
Over time, Panama adopted a policy of fully closing the border, a decision implemented after President José Raúl Mulino took office. Later, with the arrival of President [Donald] Trump and changes in U.S. border policy, the two governments’ approaches aligned.
As a result, we have now achieved the effective closure of the border.
We also operate a joint migration program with the United States for the return of irregular migrants. Through this program, individuals apprehended at the border are immediately returned to Colombia, and those found in other areas of the country are deported to their country of origin.
Many of these individuals are from Colombia, Ecuador, or Venezuela. When necessary, we transport them to the Colombian border so they can continue onward to their home countries, particularly in the case of Venezuelan migrants, since Panama does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which complicates direct repatriation.
Diálogo: Criminal networks operating in the region are becoming increasingly sophisticated and transnational. How is Panama adapting its operational model to counter these evolving threats?
Minister Ábrego: Over the past year we have received significant support in cybersecurity and cyber defense, particularly to protect our most important national asset: the Panama Canal.
Like any major institution, the Canal faces cyberattacks. Some of these are simply individuals probing systems to identify vulnerabilities, but others come from highly organized cyber actors.
Fortunately, what we refer to as the wall has been able to contain these threats thanks to the technology we have acquired with the support of our U.S. partners and the cooperation of U.S. Southern Command.
We have also worked with other government institutions, including the Civil Aviation Authority. Panama is an aviation hub for the Americas, not only for our national airline, Copa, but also for many international carriers. Ensuring the security of those systems is essential.
Diálogo: How have international partners contributed to the protection of the Panama Canal?
Minister Ábrego: Our most important national asset is the Panama Canal. Being known as the “bridge of the world and heart of the universe” obliges us to guarantee the safe movement of passengers and cargo through our country, both in the maritime and aviation sectors.
We have achieved this through investments by the Panama Canal Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority, and Tocumen S.A., which manages our international airports. We have also made significant government investments in cybersecurity and cyber defense.
In addition, we have benefited from close cooperation with the United States as our principal ally and partner in strengthening cybersecurity.
Diálogo: The launch of the Combined Jungle Orientation Course marked an important development. How do these initiatives strengthen regional preparedness against criminal networks operating in complex terrain?
Minister Ábrego: Panama is almost entirely covered by tropical rainforest. I often say that if visionaries chose to build a canal here, it was because the country was surrounded by dense jungle. In Panama, it rains nearly nine months of the year.
For many years, the United States maintained jungle training programs for its forces, and Panama also developed its own training initiatives, such as the well-known Panajungla course, which focuses on survival and combat in jungle environments.
More recently, as part of our partnership with the United States, we jointly reopened a jungle training facility at the former Fort Sherman, now Admiral Cristóbal Colón.
The United States welcomed this initiative and requested to participate. Groups of U.S. service members from different branches now travel to Panama for jungle training in classes of about 20 to 40 participants, which ensures the training remains effective.
Diálogo: PANAMAX 26 is approaching and is expected to be one of the largest joint military exercises conducted in the region. What does it mean for Panama to host this exercise?
Minister Ábrego: The PANAMAX exercise began approximately 18 years ago and has always included Panama. Over time, however, it evolved into primarily a tabletop exercise, while the operational component was conducted in Miami.
When I met with our U.S. counterparts last year, I explained that it made little sense for ships to patrol in Miami rather than in the Gulf of Panama or the Panamanian Caribbean — areas that are directly linked to the security of the canal.
We also proposed that our Latin American partners participate physically in the exercise to send a message of regional unity in protecting the Panama Canal.
This year we will return to a full operational exercise. We expect to see ships and aircraft from Chile, Peru, Colombia, and possibly Honduras. We have also heard that the United Kingdom and France may participate in the naval exercises to help protect the canal.
Additionally, soldiers from several Latin American countries will be present on the ground as part of the exercise.
Diálogo: Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, what is the Ministry of Public Security’s main objective to ensure Panama remains a regional leader in security?
Minister Ábrego: We must continue our policy of combating narco-terrorism and drug trafficking while also addressing crime in our cities.
Because Panama is the bridge of the world and the heart of the universe, major criminal organizations often use our country as a transit point for illicit cargo. One of our main challenges this year is strengthening port controls in cooperation with the Customs Directorate.
We have already achieved major successes in collaboration with the DEA, the FBI, the Customs Directorate, SENAN, and the National Police. During 2025 we carried out significant seizures, and even in January 2026 authorities intercepted shipments of three tons and two tons of drugs at different ports.
Our priority is to prevent drugs from entering our country and harming our communities, our neighborhoods, and our families.
Diálogo: What message does Panama have for regional partners regarding security cooperation?
Minister Ábrego: Panama is open to cooperation with any country interested in strengthening communication, information sharing, training, and institutional development.
At the same time, we are always willing to learn from others. No country has all the answers. We must exchange ideas and learn from the experiences of other nations.
This forum allowed us to do exactly that. I even mentioned to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that one of the key challenges is what to do after capturing major drug trafficking leaders. In many cases, ordinary prisons can be influenced or controlled by these individuals.
That is why we must strengthen maximum-security prison systems to ensure that criminal leaders cannot continue directing operations from prison. In this effort, we also seek the guidance of countries that have developed effective correctional systems while respecting human rights.
International cooperation is essential. Listening to and learning from other countries’ experiences helps us avoid mistakes that have cost human lives in the past, especially those of our security forces.
