Soccer player’s killing draws attention to struggles in one of Panama’s principal ports

By JUAN ZAMORANO
Associated Press

COLON, Panama (AP) — The killing of a member of Panama’s national soccer team in this rough Caribbean port has shown a light on the high levels of violence residents suffer here despite having a bustling port and one of the world’s largest free-trade zones. While massive cargo ships enter and exit the Panama Canal here 50 miles north of the capital, Colon has wrestled for years with high levels of unemployment and crime. It has become fertile ground for gangs battling over control of drug trafficking routes. Defender Gilberto Hernández, 26, was shot Sunday afternoon hanging out with friends.