A Panamanian drug trafficker has been found guilty of federal charges. The verdict was reached after four days of trial. Prosecutors described him as one of the most feared drug traffickers in the region, capable of coordinating operations with hundreds of collaborators within a large-scale criminal structure. Judge André Birotte Jr. set the sentencing hearing for June 12. The defendant faces a mandatory prison sentence of 10 years to life, depending on the court's assessment of his role in the drug trafficking network. His story reflects a broader dynamic: the transformation of local gang structures into transnational drug trafficking networks, a phenomenon that has redefined security in Central America and the Caribbean. While awaiting sentencing in a federal prison, Camargo Clarke's story hangs between two narratives: that of a young man from the capital's marginalized neighborhoods and that of a man who, according to U.S. justice, came to occupy a central place in international drug trafficking.
