Panama to build a maximum-security prison for gang leaders

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Panama City: Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino is ordering the construction of a maximum-security prison to stop incarcerated gang leaders from running criminal syndicates from behind bars amid a nationwide surge in violence.

In a direct response to a recent mass breakout of nearly 200 inmates from the La Joyita prison complex, the government announced it will drastically toughen penitentiary rules for convicts who commit further crimes while incarcerated.

Mulino explicitly blamed these powerful, organized syndicates for driving regional drug trafficking and orchestrating the vast majority of killings across Panama. The incoming specialized facility aims to completely dismantle the command lines of cartel bosses by cutting off their communication with the outside world.

enacting these aggressive containment measures, Panama draws inspiration from the highly restrictive, hardline anti-gang prison models popularized by El Salvador to reclaim domestic security control.

Photo Credits: AFP