Inside Panama: The Deadly Jungle Road to the American Dream

Between the Atlantic and the Pacific, at the gateway to America, Panama’s famous canal is an essential gateway for world trade in goods. But for the first time in its history, it is completely saturated. Monstrous traffic jams are forcing container ships to wait weeks before crossing from one ocean to the other. The problem is a severe drought that has lowered the level of the canal. The country is also one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes. In 2023, half a million men, women and children risked their lives on this route to North America. Every day, 40 ships pass through the canal, carrying one and a half million tonnes of freight. To preserve the precious canal, Panama’s main source of income, the authorities are prepared to do anything. So they pumping all they can from the country’s reserves, water that is essential to the operation of the locks. But this unthinkable waste deprives the population of drinking water. For every ship that passes through, 100 million litres of fresh water are used, and this water is lost to the sea. At the height of the crisis a few months ago, over 163 ships were forced to drop anchor. Since then, some have already begun to avoid the area to avoid getting stuck. More and more ships prefer to bypass the Canal and Panama, even if it means taking a huge detour. For those in a hurry, there is a solution. The Canal Authority offers auctions to buy emergency passage slots. A few weeks ago, a boat paid a record $4 million for its passage. That’s 40 times the normal fare. Panama is not only an essential transit point for goods, but also a stopover for migrants from all over the world. In the thick Darien jungle, our journalists followed the hellish route taken by thousands of people every day. Despite the risks, there are more of them every year, and an incredible business has grown up around them. Clans of smugglers paid a high price for entry into the jungle and for supplies. ------ We have the stories that global corporations don't want you to know. Our channel is home to award-winning investigations, current affairs and revealing documentaries that challenge unchecked global powers and give you the real, human stories behind the headlines. Want to understand more about our world? Want to delve beyond news headlines and understand global issues more deeply? Subscribe to DISPATCH for all this and more. Make sure to hit notifications to never miss a new release!