Panama’s Attorney reveals that 19,000 doses of the drug fentanyl were “lost” in a public hospital in the country

() — The Attorney General of Panama, Javier Enrique Caraballo, said this Wednesday that there are some 19,000 doses of the drug fentanyl that were lost from the Hospital Complex of the Social Security Fund in Panama, and for which there are two open investigations for possible crimes against public administration.

The first complaint was received in November of last year, when a bag was detected that an anesthesiologist, whose details are not revealed, left at the hospital reception and which contained 12 vials of fentanyl, according to Caraballo, the attorney general.

The judicial official said at a press conference that, as a result of that complaint, an audit was carried out by the Social Security Fund on March 6. This revealed “the loss” of approximately 19,000 doses of fentanyl.

This is the first time that the exact amount of this lost synthetic opioid, which is used legally for medical purposes as an analgesic and anesthetic, has been officially reported.

Your quote on drug cartels

Prosecutor Caraballo explained that fentanyl “is an opioid highly valued by drug cartels internationally.” However, he warned about the need to investigate and not fall into speculation. Fentanyl that is manufactured and trafficked on the illegal market rarely meets the same standards as that used in hospital settings and for medical purposes.

“We are going to reconstruct all the facts and, finally, depending on the evidence that is gathered, we can say whether or not there is the participation of organized crime in this event.”

With the audit, said the prosecutor, an estimate of the total cost of the lost drug is not revealed, but he reported that the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is taking steps to establish a possible patrimonial damage.

there are no detainees

For now there are no detainees, according to the Public Ministry of Panama. However, the country’s Social Security Fund reported that it opened an administrative process for the alleged theft of fentanyl against the official linked to the issue of vials found at a reception. has tried to obtain the version of the designated official. However, because it is a case under investigation, neither the Public Ministry nor the Social Security Fund reveal details.