A video showing a shipment of pineapples contaminated with drugs in  Spain and carrying the “Panama Exports” label is one of the first dirty tricks in the upcoming election campaign according to Panama’s export sector.

At a Wednesday, July 4 press conference  Rosmer Jurado, president of the  Panama Exporters  Association  (Apex) pointed out that Panama does not export to that destination and said that the dirty campaign was harming exporters and the country brand Panama Exports.

He said that the video circulating on social networks showing the seizure of a  drug contaminated pineapple shipment with the Panama Exporta seal is false.

"In a pre-election year these dirty campaigns arise, but the damage is not done to the existing  government but to the export sector that in recent years  has been  struggling to get ahead," said Jurado

Agricultural authorities  have warned that this type of "dirty" campaign damages

the image of Panama, and of Panamanian exporters and producers, and negatively impacts the country's economy and the generation of jobs in  this sector