Ngäbe leaders from a grassroots network of Indigenous and Campesino land defenders say that Dennis Lucas, an alleged land grabber who has been harassing the community of Valle de Agua since 2005, may be colluding with local officials to silence them.
MODETEAB, the Movement for the Defense of the Ecosystems and Territories of Bocas del Toro (Movimiento por la Defensa de los Territorios y Ecosistemas de Bocas del Toro) has brought numerous issues to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) since 2008, including a complaint about Lucas in 2015. The group believes it is now being targeted for denouncing human rights abuses, including those committed by the state during so-called ‘ Operation Omega ‘, a violent police crackdown against protesters in 2025.
State-sanctioned intimidation of civil society is on the rise in Panama. Indigenous leaders, unionists, environmental activists, teachers, journalists, and other dissenting voices are being monitored and harassed under the right-wing government of José Raúl Mulino.
Olinda Castrellón, MODETEAB’s sub-coordinator and a lifelong resident of Valle de Agua, told IC that state surveillance had left her very concerned. She said, “Now, as an activist or human rights defender, it’s like being a criminal, no longer being able to leave your home, no longer having that peace of mind, no longer being able to say, ‘I’m going home, I’m going to rest.’”
MODETEAB’s coordinator, Feliciano Santos is also being surveilled by state agencies, and he believes that three recent visits from officials may constitute a thinly veiled threat to his security.
On 28 May 2026, three officials from the Public Prosecutor’s Office (Ministerio Público) arrived in Valle de Agua looking for him. One of them remained in an official vehicle while the others scouted his property.
Upon failing to find him, one of the officers, who identified himself as Hector González, questioned a neighbor for 10-15 minutes about Santos’ whereabouts and phone number. When asked what for, the official responded irregularly that Santos needed to collect some checks from the airport in the nearby city of Changuinola.
Santos told IC that the explanation was puzzling and implausible. “This put me on alert,” he said. “This person could be a ministry employee, or he might not be. It’s a message that could be a kidnapping threat, or an attempt to manipulate.”
A second incident occurred on June 3. At around 8.00 a.m. Lucas and an unknown individual arrived in Valle de Agua by boat, disembarking on the shore near the community. According to a witness, the individual appeared to be affiliated with the Judicial Investigation Directorate (DIJ). Lucas and his companion attempted to approach the community but were intercepted by Ngäbe farm workers. They then returned to their boat and left by sea.
A third incident occurred on June 11. At around 4.30 p.m. Héctor González of the Public Prosecutor’s Office again arrived at Santos’ residence in an official vehicle. He questioned the same neighbor about his whereabouts and phone number, telling them that he was conducting “an investigation.” When asked to clarify its purpose, he said, “You don’t need to know about that.”
The neighbor described the official as ‘threatening’. He reportedly left a message for Santos, instructing him to appear at the local Public Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, adding that if he failed to appear, the authorities would use police units to detain or arrest him.
González also asked several questions about Dennis Lucas, including the location of his house, implicitly linking the supposed ‘investigation’ to an ongoing land conflict which MODETEAB recently brought to public attention. A lawyer working on behalf of Santos has since verified that Lucas has filed a defamation lawsuit against him. However, no formal investigation has yet been opened in relation to the complaint, and no official has been assigned to examine the case.
As IC reported in January 2026, the Castrellón family has lived in Valle de Agua for more than 70 years but came into conflict with Lucas starting in 2005. Claiming to possess a title to part of their property, he had the family evicted with the help of an elected official, who was subsequently dismissed for acting without proper authority.
The Castrellóns returned and rebuilt. Following recommendations from the IACHR, Panama’s National Land Administration Authority (ANATI) conducted a thorough survey of the area and concluded that Lucas had no rightful claim to Castrellón family land.
However, in 2017, according to families from Valle de Agua, he returned to threaten the community with a loaded gun. Official records from Panama’s judicial investigation directorate indicate that Dennis Eduardo Lucas Amador was subsequently sentenced to 48 months in prison for an offense related to arms trafficking.
After a peaceful interlude, Lucas renewed his campaign in 2023, according to MODETEAB, with the financial backing of the Agricultural Development Bank (BDA). He has allegedly invaded the Castrellón family farm on three occasions in 2023, 2025, and most recently in May 2026, destroying a total of ten hectares of subsistence crops. More than 100 families are now reportedly experiencing a severe food crisis.
Santos told IC that on the most recent occasion, Lucas brought in around 30 people on cattle trucks to vandalize the crops, nearly causing a violent confrontation with the community. He said that he did not expect any help or support from the state regarding the incident.
“The authorities, well, they’re completely silent here,” he said. “They’re not going to say anything because they’re complicit in these forced and violent land grabs.”
Human rights organizations have accused the DIJ and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of persecuting and intimidating civil society groups opposed to the Mulino government, including Indigenous leaders.
Several prominent figures were arrested and incarcerated during a police crackdown against protests last year, so-called Operation Omega, which left dozens of protesters injured.
The protests began as a teachers’ strike against proposed legislation (Law 462) aimed at reforming the country’s Social Security Fund, effectively limiting public healthcare and pension provisions.
The strikes quickly evolved into wider protests involving workers, students, and Indigenous communities around the country, to which the government responded with draconian measures.
On 13 June 2025, the Ngäbe leader Toribio García was arrested at his home and charged with inciting criminal activity. However, he was subsequently acquitted by an Oral Trial Court of the Judicial Branch in Chiriquí on 12 March 2026.
Similarly, trade unions have been targeted by police raids and claim to be victims of political persecution. In May 2025, the Second Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime issued arrest warrants for leaders of SUNTRACS (Sindicato Único Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Construcción y Similares), Genaro López and Saúl Méndez for financial crimes allegedly committed in 2022.
In a further sign that Panama’s legal system is being tactically weaponized, the developers of the controversial Puerto Barú port in Chiriquí filed a civil damages lawsuit against two prominent environmental NGOs opposed to the project, the Environmental Advocacy Center (CIAM) and Adopta Bosques Panamá, resulting in the preventive seizure of their bank accounts and assets before any ruling.
Major media outlets such as La Prensa , one of Panama’s leading independent newspapers, have also faced defamation lawsuits and court-ordered asset freezes widely criticized as attempts to pressure the press.
In Valle de Agua, recent events involving Lucas and the Public Prosecutor’s Office have left the community fearful about the future. Castrellón told IC, “I know that I’ve been dealing with this since 2005, and believe me, there comes a point when you wonder if you will ever have peace or tranquility. But honestly, with these last few days, I don’t know what might happen next.”
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