Teflon Traad no longer slick in Panama

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Many Panamanians are riveted to the case of Ricardo Traad Porras, the former head of the equivalent of Panama’s coast guard, who was arrested last month on charges of ‘illegal enrichment’ related to the guard’s seizure of a rust-bucket merchant ship carrying cocaine last year.

Authorities say Traad, who had come to be known as ‘Teflon Traad,’ sold the scrap iron cargo that was aboard the ship, and pocketed the proceeds. They also suspect he found another stash of cocaine aboard the vessel, and sold that.

A witness in the case testified this month that Traad also alerted traffickers to impending raids and tipped them off about the location of anti-narcotics patrol boats.

Posted by Chris Kraul in Panama