Panamanian border police arrested 15 people on Wednesday connected to a criminal organisation that helped smuggle Chinese migrants across the Darien jungle via a “VIP route” with fewer challenges to traverse.
The arrests were made in the town of Santa Fe, near the city of Meteti in Darien Province, Panama’s border region with Colombia covered in dense jungle and through which hundreds of thousands of migrants cross on their way to the United States.
More than half a million people traversed the so-called Darién Gap in 2023, where migrants face dangers such as rapid river waters, wild animals and criminal gangs that rob, rape and kill those passing through the lawless forest.
But the “VIP route” – which used all-terrain vehicles and even horses – sped up the sometimes weeklong journey, at least for those who could afford it.
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Influx of Chinese migrants on hazardous Central American route to reach US
Influx of Chinese migrants on hazardous Central American route to reach US
This year, more than 220,000 people have crossed the jungle, primarily Venezuelan migrants, but also people from Ecuador, Colombia, Haiti and China.
The latter group were the primary migrants to pay to use the “VIP route” facilitated by the crime ring, according to local prosecutor Emeldo Marquez.
He attributed this to their generally higher purchasing power compared to other migrant groups.
“It’s a route that has been called ‘VIP’ because it provides them with the ability to move faster than the route the rest of the migrants are using,” Marquez said.
The number of Chinese migrants crossing the Darién Gap has surged in recent years, from 296 recorded from 2010 to 2019 up to 12,000 so far in 2024, according to Panamanian government data. Chinese have become the fourth-largest group by nationality to use the crossing. Most of those crossing are Venezuelans.
The “VIP route” cost between US$2,600 to US$8,000 per person and was used to help more than 700 migrants through Panama, according to Marquez.
The route followed a different trajectory than the typical paths through the Darién Gap, which can take five to eight days to complete.
Instead, migrants left the towns of Capurgana or Necocli on the Colombian coast and travelled by sea to the villages of Carreto or Caledonia in Panama.
From there, they crossed the jungle in an average of two days using various modes of transportation, including canoe, horseback or even all-terrain vehicles.
The regular route costs about $500 US dollars per person.
All 15 suspects arrested were Panamanian, though Marquez alleged they worked for Colombian gangs.
If convicted, each person faces 15 to 20 years in prison.
