A National Police   sergeant  in the  Police Intelligence Directorate accused of extortion was arrested on  Monday October 14  after an undercover operation in conjunction with the Pubic Ministry.  

.Uris Vargas, the senior prosecutor in Panama Oeste, said the arrested sergeant extorted money from a merchant in exchange for giving him information about a case that was being investigated in coordination with the Prosecutor's Office and the Directorate of Judicial Investigations.

Aafter receiving the extortion report, the sergeant was monitored and captured on the Pan-American Highway at Nuevo Arraiján, where he had received the money from the merchant. The money was found in the police car.

In a statement, the National Police reacted to the incident and said that "it will not tolerate any conduct that fails to comply with the police regulations and much less denigrate the good image of our institution."