Experts warn that arms traffickers continue to supply Panama through intact routes without major obstacles. Although the National Police recently destroyed 1,923 firearms and over 90,000 cartridges, specialists point out that these figures reflect operational seizures, not the actual flow of weapons entering the country. Isaac Brawerman, president of the Firearms Owners Association, was categorical: "The routes are intact: by air, land, and sea. The networks that traffic arms continue to operate because their criminal structures remain active". Brawerman detailed that the organizations maintain the same smuggling corridors: by land from Costa Rica, using paths historically used by drug trafficking networks; by sea, moving weapons with drug shipments, leveraging drug trafficking logistics; by air, importing loose parts to be assembled within the country. "These routes have not been altered, and as long as the organizations managing them remain intact, the flow will not stop", he added. The specialist also warned that the number of destroyed weapons can create a misleading perception. "The weapons found may be old. They represent operational blows, not necessarily a recent increase in the entry of arms", he explained. "Controls are effective. The problem is at the root", Brawerman concluded.
