Panamanian Drug Lord Convicted in US Federal Court

The case is part of the DOJ’s ‘Operation Take Back America,’ focused on illegal immigration, cartels, and transnational criminal organizations.

Costa Rican police stand guard next cocaine packs in Alajuela, Costa Rica, on Nov. 28, 2025. Ezequiel Becerra/AFP via Getty Images

LOS ANGELES—Following a multi-agency international investigation, a federal jury on Feb. 5 found Jorge Rubén Camargo-Clarke, alleged founder of Panama’s biggest drug federation, guilty of narcotics trafficking.

Known as “El Cholo Chorrillo” and “El Nene,” Camargo was convicted in a Los Angeles federal court of conspiring to distribute cocaine for the purpose of unlawful importation to the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, announced on Feb. 6.