Panama dismantles ‘VIP’ Chinese migrant route in Darien jungle, a route to US border
- In recent years, Chinese migrants have become the fourth-largest group by nationality to use the dangerous jungle crossing
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
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.
