Country Overview:  Panama is a key transit point for licit and illicit goods, financial flows, and migrants throughout the region.  While Panama does not have a sanctions regime, Panama is a partner in the implementation and enforcement of sanctions on entities and individuals designated by the United States.  On October 18, President Mulino signed a decree to hasten the process to remove sanctioned vessels from Panama’s ship registry.  Since the release of this decree, Panama’s maritime authority has canceled nearly 100 vessel registrations, including those with links to Iranian oil sanctions and evasion activity.  Illegal migrants, including those who are connected to KSTs, presented a significant security challenge.  Panama had the highest number of enrollments in and identification of KSTs globally, according to DHS’s Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program.

Panama’s limited institutional capacity, including a shortage of trained staff, hindered the government’s ability to investigate financial support to terrorist-related organizations, particularly when those investigations required working with foreign governments.  Between November 2023 and the end of calendar year 2024, the anti-money laundering and anti-corruption task force has initiated 63 non-drug-related investigations, resulting in approximately 246 arrests, 58 convictions, and $15.3 million seized or frozen.  Panama’s year-old Border Information Analysis and Targeting Unit continued to provide border security-related strategic intelligence capabilities for any participating agencies’ leadership.  On October 9, MFA Minister Javier Martínez-Acha met with the UN Counterterrorism Center during the International Conference for Victims of Terrorism in Spain and reaffirmed Panama’s commitment to combating terrorist acts and terrorist financing.

2024 Terrorism Trends:  Panama reported no incidents of international terrorism in 2024.