Conflict between Customs and Interpol generates tension in Paso Canoas. Enrique Montenegro, general secretary of the National Association of Customs Officials, stated that Customs officials have not understood that they now work in a civilian entity where one does not obey by rank and orders are not carried out without questioning. He also indicated that these irregularities have already been brought to the attention of Director Soraya Valdivieso and that the union has been emphatic that it will not allow a situation they consider illegal to be maintained. “Under no circumstances can we accept that another institution, such as Interpol, carry out functions that correspond to Customs,” he stressed. Montenegro warned that, if an immediate solution is not found, the National Association of Customs Officials does not rule out forceful actions. Customs officials in Paso Canoas remain on alert due to what they consider an intrusion by Interpol units and former National Police officers into the exclusive tasks of combating smuggling, a situation that threatens to affect the normal functioning of this entity on the border between Panama and Costa Rica. According to Enrique Montenegro, general secretary of the National Association of Customs Officials, at least two serious situations are currently causing distress to Customs workers in Paso Canoas. Montenegro explained that, through internal orders, Interpol units would be carrying out inspections of shipments and goods passing through this border point, a task that —he emphasized— corresponds exclusively to the Directorate of Customs. “This constitutes a usurpation of functions and a violation of current regulations,” he affirmed. The union leader also pointed out that the director of Customs, Soraya Valdivieso, may have in good faith appointed some police officers to support the oversight tasks; however, he denounced that these individuals have not assimilated that they are no longer part of the National Police or military institutions. “They have entered the institution threatening, coercing, and intimidating Customs officials. Likewise, he announced that in the coming days he will travel to Paso Canoas to meet with the officials in the area and coordinate the measures to be taken.
