Holy Cow, Hire a PI Now!; Experts Call to Strengthen Cybersecurity; Propose Increasing Penalties for Corruption.

Friday, July 25, 2025.

Holy Cow, Hire a PI Now!

Recently, we began working on a case involving a couple who had fallen victim to a scam, losing over $80,000 in personal property. After receiving our proposal, they quickly accepted. But just as we were preparing to start, they called back with unfortunate news: their lawyer had advised them not to hire a local private investigator. According to him, “there’s nothing a PI can do,” and they should simply “let the police handle it.”

Holy cow. That wasn’t frustrating because we were losing a case, trust me, we’re not hurting for work. It was frustrating because I know how the system works, and I know what’s likely to happen when people rely solely on the criminal justice system, especially when time-sensitive evidence is involved.

Let’s be clear: prosecutors and police are excellent at what they do. This is not a knock on law enforcement. But it’s also no secret that government systems move slowly. The wheels of justice grind at their own pace, and in that time, evidence disappears.

That’s the real danger.

Most types of evidence have a shelf life. Surveillance footage gets overwritten, sometimes in just 24 to 72 hours. Many businesses have systems that aren’t even functioning properly and don’t realize it until it’s too late. I can’t count the number of times we’ve heard, “Oh, the cameras weren’t recording,” or “We disconnected the control access because it wasn’t working.”

That’s why you need to look for ALL possible recordings in the area and not just the immediate location. Check other businesses, residential cameras, government buildings, banks, etc., everything that is in the path of the case you’re looking at.

Fingerprints? Gone within hours. Bodily fluids or other biologicals? Washed away, wiped off, or degraded in a matter of days. The forensics team needs to get in within 24 hours to sweep everything and your lawyer and investigator working as a team can ensure that this happens.

Waiting 30 or 60 days to bring in a private investigator? That’s a critical mistake.

By then, the trail is cold. Leads are stale. Witnesses forget. Digital evidence gets overwritten. Surveillance is gone. And the person who stole from you? They’ve already sold much of what they got, sent it off to another country and moved on to their next victim.

If you’re serious about getting answers, about catching the person who robbed you, hacked you, scammed you, or “borrowed” with no intent to return, you need to bring us in immediately.

Private investigators are not a luxury reserved for the rich or for television scripts. We are the boots-on-the-ground professionals who fill the gap between the moment something happens and the day the authorities open a case file.

Here’s another real-world example:

We were recently contacted in a parental kidnapping case. A father in the United States had been trying for over two years to bring home his children, who had been taken abroad. He tried every legal avenue. Every door closed in his face. When he finally contacted us, he explained that his previous lawyer had told him, “Panama never signed the Hague Treaty.”

I paused for a moment and replied, “You need a different lawyer.”

Panama signed the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction back in 1994. Any competent international family lawyer should know this, or at the very least, take 30 seconds to Google it. Two years wasted. Two years that the children were separated from their parent, simply because the wrong advice was given and no one thought to verify it. And there’s a 1-year limit to how long you can wait to initiate the Hague process.

This is exactly why bringing in a qualified private investigator early in the process isn’t just useful, it’s essential.

When should you call a PI?

• When your loved one goes missing

• When you’ve been scammed

• When there’s a data breach

• When you’re dealing with suspicious activity in your business

• When you need background checks for new hires

• When you suspect fraud, theft, or infidelity

• When the system fails to move quickly – although you should have already hired us.

Bottom line: Don’t wait for the system to work for you. Take control of your case, your evidence, and your peace of mind.

Brett Mikkelson
Director, B.M. Investigations, Inc.

TOP NEWS and TIDBITS:

Amid Rising Digital Threats, Experts Call for Strengthening Cybersecurity Knowledge

A large part of the daily life of today’s professionals depends on tasks that must be carried out online. In addition, the children of the current generation are digital natives; this is why experts say it’s essential to strengthen the culture of cybersecurity.

Vielsa Gómez, a digital transformation specialist, said that one of the biggest challenges facing Latin America is the importance of training, raising awareness, and educating all citizens at different stages, starting with children in elementary schools and also training teachers — but also society as a whole. Meanwhile, María Elena García, from the Pan American Institute of Law and Technology (Ipandetec), agreed with Gómez and said that one of Panama’s main weaknesses lies in education.

“From an early age, children must be taught to be careful, especially with mobile devices, computers, laptops and the internet,” García explained. This point is reinforced when considering that cybercrime is an activity that generates millions of dollars for those who engage in these types of offenses.

“Cybercrime represents an annual investment of — listen carefully — 10 trillion dollars,” explained cybersecurity specialist Juan Carlos Parris. He also noted that this figure surpasses drug trafficking, money laundering, and counterfeiting. “This is truly a business; it operates like a company and has become an industry,” he warned. Experts also emphasize the importance of leaving no one behind when it comes to training in the proper use of the internet.

“It’s necessary to remember our senior citizens, because they too are part of society and need to use technology, especially now that we are increasingly hyperconnected and most transactions today happen in the digital world,” said Gómez.

Among the opportunities for improvement in Panama regarding internet use, specialists highlighted fundamental aspects such as clear and accessible verification, real protection of personal data, improvements to public tools like electronic signatures, and everything related to ethics.

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Panama Achieves Record Number of Newly Flagged Vessels

The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, announced that Panama achieved a record number of vessels flagged under its registry during the first year of his administration, with a 13% increase representing 420 new ships added to the national register.

Mulino emphasized that this result strengthens Panama’s position as a trusted and credible ship registry, backed by decades of experience in the international maritime sector.

Panama Adds 420 New Flagged Vessels

“This is a key moment because this is when shipowners choose a flag, and also when the banks financing these constructions consider which registry they feel comfortable with. Panama offers that trust,” the president stated.

Panama’s ship registry remains one of the largest in the world, and these figures reinforce its competitiveness in response to global demand, thanks to policies focused on attracting investment and offering high-quality services to the maritime sector.

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Study in Azuero Seeks to Detect the Presence of Heavy Metals in Healthy Newborns

Since 2023, Panamanian researchers have been warning about the effects of pesticides on babies in the Azuero region. Chemical contamination in this area and several provinces of the country has stopped being an abstract environmental issue and has become a direct threat to human health, as revealed by the findings of a pioneering study.

Panamanian doctor Iván Landires, a pediatric geneticist trained at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, leads a team of researchers seeking to detect heavy metals in umbilical cord blood and the first urine of healthy newborns. After completing his doctorate at the Pasteur Institute in 2012, Landires founded the Institute of Medical Sciences in Azuero with funding from the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt). His goal: to apply in Panama the knowledge acquired abroad to develop research studies in medicine and public health.

The specific motivation for this study arose from the atrazine crisis that contaminated the La Villa River in 2017. “We decided to investigate whether those same contaminants found in the La Villa River and the environment could also be present in the biological fluids of people,” explained Landires. As a geneticist, his particular interest is to determine whether these environmental contaminants have an impact on the human genome. To do this, his team uses specialized biomarkers known as micronuclei — techniques that can detect whether contaminants cause genetic damage.

The research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. José Villarreal, a chemist at the Agricultural Research Institute of Panama (Idiap), who had previously identified heavy metals in studies of the La Villa River published in scientific journals.
“We proposed to Dr. Villarreal that he measure these environmental contaminants — the same heavy metals he had already found in previous studies — in the blood and urine of newborns,” said Landires.

This work builds on significant previous research. In 2024, an international study led by Dr. Nicolás Olea from the University of Granada, in collaboration with Dr. Nelva Alvarado from the University of Panama and Landires’ team, analyzed placentas from women in Azuero during normal deliveries and found pesticides and various contaminants in samples processed in Spain.

Methodology and alarming discoveries
The current study was carried out with samples from healthy newborns at Dr. Joaquín Pablo Franco Hospital in the district of Las Tablas, and at Cecilio A. Castillero General Hospital in Chitré. Researchers collected umbilical cord blood and the first urine of babies at birth.

“We’ve found correlations between these heavy metals and certain microscopic chromosomal changes that produce chromosomal aberrations. It’s still unclear whether this may have a clinical impact, but we know it has an effect at the genomic level. This is a pilot study,” explained Landires. He emphasized that this type of contamination is not unique to Panama.

“Wherever these studies are conducted worldwide, heavy metals have been found in newborns — Europe, China, the United States, Latin America. What I mean is that it’s very likely, and in fact almost certain, that this is not only a contamination problem in the urine and blood of people in Azuero. This contamination probably also appears in other newborns in other provinces,” he revealed.

This practice, known as biomonitoring, is common in developed countries. However, what makes this study pioneering is that it represents the first cohort study carried out in Panama. Asked about the country’s high cancer rates, Landires confirmed a worrying reality: “Cancer rates are high in Azuero, but not only in Azuero. Across the whole country, cancer rates are higher than in other countries like those in Europe and North America.”

“In Azuero, there is a higher incidence of cancer than in the rest of the country, but throughout Panama, the incidence is very high. We need to look for the causes,” the specialist added.

Multiple sources of contamination
The heavy metals detected may come from both natural sources and human activities. “Heavy metal contamination comes naturally from the environment — it’s in the rocks and soil — but it’s also produced by human activity: industrial processes, agriculture, agrochemicals,” explained Landires.

Particularly concerning is that living far from contamination sources doesn’t eliminate exposure. “Heavy metal contamination has been found worldwide in many foods. What we need to study is whether the food we consume contains heavy metals contamination throughout Panama. Rice has been found to contain heavy metal contamination. And here in Panama, everyone eats rice. So that could be a potential source of contamination,” he said.

Although the study was carried out in Azuero, Landires believes the problem is national. Studies by the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) have found pesticides in several river basins across the country, confirming that contamination is not limited to a single region.

“It’s very likely this contamination also appears in other newborns in other provinces. We need to conduct studies in Chiriquí, Panama, Panamá Oeste, Veraguas, Colón,” recommended the researcher.

This pilot study is just the first step in a more ambitious research project. Landires plans to develop the “Cohorte Peladitos”, a longitudinal follow-up of children from birth throughout their lives, which would run alongside the “PA-MAMI cohort” led by Dr. Nicolás Olea.

An urgent call to action
Landires stressed that this contamination has existed for many years, adding that it is the product of a development model that “devastates the environment.” The specialist identifies multiple sources: deforestation around watersheds, which increases the concentration of naturally occurring heavy metals in rivers; human activity; contamination by agrochemicals; industrial activities; and the release of fossil fuels.

“When we talk about natural contamination, we can also say that the erosion of watersheds due to deforestation causes rivers to become turbid and damaged by the loss of surrounding forest. That increases the concentration of natural heavy metals in rivers,” he noted.

In Europe, where Landires trained, biomonitoring is highly developed, with studies deliberately seeking to identify chemical contamination that affects health. Finally, the doctor pointed out that the country needs the development of adequate public policies that “allow people to live in a better environment and reduce the human impact on environmental contamination, thereby lowering contamination levels within us.”

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

MINSA Ensures Vaccine Safety and Announces New Covid-19 Doses

The Ministry of Health (Minsa) reiterated this Wednesday that all vaccines included in Panama’s National Vaccination Schedule are safe, save lives, and have scientific backing.

During a press conference, the Director General of Public Health, Reina Roa, explained that the decision to include a vaccine in the national schedule is always based on scientific evidence and a detailed analysis of benefits and risks.

Roa emphasized that the vaccines used in Panama are acquired through the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) Revolving Fund, under strict quality controls. “We have just introduced a new vaccine against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus to protect pregnant mothers and adults over 60 years old. It is essential that the population continues with the vaccination process,” she stressed.

Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination

She also reminded that vaccination played a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic by significantly reducing severe cases and mortality.

Meanwhile, Uriel Pérez, Director of Pharmacy and Drugs at Minsa, clarified that there is no alarm regarding the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. He indicated that, according to FDA reports, adverse effects are very few compared to the millions of people who have safely received the vaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccine Doses

Minsa informed that on Monday, July 28, the country will receive 44,400 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in its JN variant, designed to provide greater protection against the strains currently circulating in Panama.

Finally, Minsa called on the population to visit health centers, Social Security polyclinics, and private hospitals to complete their vaccination schedules and strengthen their protection.

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

They Seek to Increase Penalties for Corruption: Bill Presented to the National Assembly

The Attorney General of the Nation, Luis Gómez, presented this Thursday before the Plenary of the National Assembly a bill that seeks to amend articles of the Penal Code to increase penalties for crimes against public administration related to corruption.

During the presentation of the proposal, Gómez revealed that the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office currently has 3,840 active cases related to crimes of this nature, reflecting the magnitude of the challenge faced by the justice system.

Attorney General proposes increasing penalties for corruption

The bill aims to strengthen the legal framework to more firmly combat acts of corruption by increasing sanctions and closing loopholes that have allowed impunity in some cases.

After its presentation, the initiative must be discussed in the corresponding committees before advancing to the second and third readings in the legislative plenary.

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

The Canal Museum Ranks Among the Best Attractions in the World, According to Tripadvisor

The Panama Canal Museum achieved international recognition by receiving Tripadvisor’s prestigious Travellers’ Choice Awards 2025, placing it among the top 10% of the highest-rated attractions worldwide.

This award, granted by the world’s largest tourism platform, is based exclusively on reviews and ratings left by thousands of international visitors over the past 12 months.

Unlike other tourism awards, Tripadvisor explained that the Travellers’ Choice is characterized by its methodology centered on authentic user opinions. Visitors who toured the museum took the time to share their impressions on the platform, generating a volume of positive feedback that elevated the institution to the select group of the world’s best-rated attractions.

“Receiving this global recognition, based on the real opinions of those who have experienced the Canal Museum, is a powerful testament to the work we do every day,” said Ana Elizabeth González, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the institution.

The director highlighted that “there is no better validation than that of our own visitors” and took the opportunity to acknowledge the work of the museum’s staff, whom she described as “committed, passionate, and courageous people who not only sustain this project but elevate it.”

From Tripadvisor, Kristen Dalton, the company’s president, emphasized the significance of the achievement by the Panamanian museum. “Being among the highest percentage of businesses worldwide means they have left such a memorable impression on their visitors that many of them took the time to leave an excellent online review,” she explained.

Dalton expressed hopes that “this recognition will continue attracting more visitors in 2025 and the years to come,” which could translate into a significant boost for cultural tourism in Panama.

The Canal Museum has built its reputation as an institution that goes beyond traditional exhibits. Its comprehensive approach encompasses research, conservation, and communication of Panama’s heritage related to the interoceanic canal. The nonprofit institution has developed a diversified cultural offering including permanent and temporary exhibitions, educational programs aimed at various audiences, innovative artistic projects, and cultural activities that connect with the local and international community.

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

New Fuel Prices: Gasoline Will See a Slight Increase Until August 8

Fuel prices in Panama have seen a slight increase in 91 and 95 octane gasoline, as well as diesel, starting this Friday, July 25, until August 8, 2025.

The price of 95 octane gasoline will decrease by 0.003 cents per liter, while 91 octane gasoline will maintain its price. On the other hand, diesel will increase by 0.013 cents per liter.

The prices per gallon are as follows: