Thread: Visiting Panama in September - have questions about safety

I'll be visiting Panama in September for the first time. I'm interested in living in Panama and will be looking around for suitable places.
I have one question that I have not found much info on: How much drug traffic is there and do I need to worry about my safety. I live in Austin, Tx so I'm constantly reminded of the dangers of Mexico.

Originally Posted by Candis

I'll be visiting Panama in September for the first time. I'm interested in living in Panama and will be looking around for suitable places.
I have one question that I have not found much info on: How much drug traffic is there and do I need to worry about my safety. I live in Austin, Tx so I'm constantly reminded of the dangers of Mexico.

Hi Candis, in regards to drugs and trafficking, where do you think most of the cocaine flowing through Mexico is coming from? If you said Panama, you would be correct. Here's the difference, unlike Mexico, the Colombian and Mexican cartels bringing the drugs up through Central America do not want to raise unnecessary attention. Although there are people getting killed here it is generally limited to the drug traffickers. Killing innocent local civilians and tourists is a big no-no. As long as you stay away from that particular industry you should be fine.

if you dont buy a go-fast boat when you move here, and cruise up and down the coast you will not even know there is a drug prolbem for the most part .

I can never understand why the "focus" is always on Panama and the "drug transportation problem".

The same shipments, whether by air, boat or by land also go through Costa Rica and the rest of the Central American countries before they reach Mexico. Yet one never reads about any drugs being intercepted in these other countries, never hear about the "drug problem" in Costa Rica. Do the authorities there just not care or try? Or is it just that the interceptions and all the associated issues just do not make the news? Or is suppressed?

Having lived in Costa Rica I've actually read many accounts of drug traffickers being busted. The thing is...Costa Rica is focused on tourism, and has a better public relations machine than Panama.

That being said I am very new to Panama City, yet feel MUCH SAFER here than in any area of Costa Rica.

I've also spent a large amount of time in 2 parts of Mexico with no issues and felt very safe (safer than in the US.) Of course, Mexico is a very large country and I wasn't anywhere near the US border.