Panamanian authorities burned eight tons of drugs in a sanitary dump of Cerro Patacon in Panama City on Friday, the National Police (PN) said.

Gustavo Perez, the PN director, said that most of the destroyed drugs were cocaine, marijuana and heroine.

The drugs, which were seized during the last two weeks, belonged to Colombian and Mexican drug dealers operating in Costa Rica, said Perez

He said people may feel safer as a result of their campaign to crack down on drug traffickers.

The Panamanian Drugs Prosecutor's Office said the authorities have seized 32 tons of drugs so far this year.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2009)