Second man killed by hitmen on bike

PANAMA. Hitmen on wheels have become a threat in places from lower-income neighborhoods in San Miguelito to posh areas like Costa del Este.

Alfredo Justiniani, who allegedly had close ties to the drug trafficker Jose Viteri Rueda, was murdered with 10 gun shots on Calle 18 in the Nuevo Veranillo area in San Miguelito. Police sources confirmed that the execution occurred at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, when Justiniani was taken by surprise by two hit men while playing domino with a group of friends. The two hit men arrived in a motorcycle and opened fire with a machine gun, fleeing the crime scene shortly after.

Justiniani, better known as “Chari” or “El Padrino,” belonged to delinquent gang 18, which operates in the area. The victim had 10 gun shots in the head, the chest, and both arms, and was taken to an area clinic where he died soon after.

Earlier this month, a similar case saw two hit men driving a motorcycle execute Oscar Divado Cardoze, a 30-year-old Colombian, outside the lobby of the Bayside building in Costa del Este.

According to police sources, the wave of executions in Panama is a clear evidence of the actions by imported hired assassins. The assassins for Colombian and Mexican cartels allegedly settle their accounts in Panama.