More than a thousand firearms belonging to 228 security companies, that have been disabled to work, could be on the street, could be owned by criminal gangs or in another country.
There are near 8,000 guns that remain off the radar of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). After several months of investigation, it was known that most of them are illegally in Panama.
Roberto Méndez, head of the Directorate of Private Security Services of the MPS, explained that these 228 companies broke the law because they were not registered in the control platform called ControlPas. to date, there are 639 security companies working illegally.
If companies stop working, the employers have several options: to sale the arms to a gun shop or individuals, who must formally register them, or they can return the arms to the state and negotiate a tax benefit. The businessman can’t keep any of them.
The illegal trade of arms is a lucrative business, as a gun can cost 3,000 dollars in Panama or 4,000 dollars in the black market.