Boarding of Panama Flagged Vessels

...by the global policeman. Courtesy of Wikileaks:

¶11.  (S/NF)  SBA also establishes a procedure by which the
USG can request from the GOP the right to board  Panamanian-flagged ships (one-third of all the ships in the  world are flagged in Panama) in international waters. If  drugs are found on-board, the GOP can cede jurisdiction of  the ship, drugs and crew to the USG, with the critical  exception of Panamanian citizens. To date all such requests  have been approved. While it is unclear whether Panama has  the legal right to cede jurisdiction over its citizens on the  open sea, the 2006 case of the M/V Perseus V, where eight  Panamanians were taken to the U.S. and tried and convicted  under SBA, has made it a political impossibility right now  (see Ref d). Also per Ref d, we have requested guidance from  the Department on how to respond to the GOP's Dip Note on the  status of the Panamanian sailors.  The importance of the  Panamanian fleet makes SBA invaluable in attempts to  interdict drugs on the high seas, and Post is concerned this  case may make it more difficult for the GOP to fully  implement it.    ¶12.  (S/NF)  Panama has also participated in the  Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a potentially  important tool in the bid to prevent WMD proliferation. To  date no request to board a Panamanian flagged ship has been  made under the PSI.