Darién Gap migration: On one of the world’s most dangerous migrant routes, a cartel makes millions off the American dream

Editor’s Note: “The Trek: A Migrant Trail to America” premiered on April 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CNN’s new Sunday primetime series, The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper Darién Gap, Colombia and Panama — There is always a crowd, but it can feel very lonely. “It’s all of us, or no one,” added Manuel, on the decision to bring their two young children. “I didn’t bring a thermometer.” Like many here, Natalia says she was told the walk would be a lot shorter – only two hours’ descent ahead, she says. A forensic pathologist who studied photographs of the scene at CNN’s request and didn’t want to be named discussing a sensitive issue, said there were likely signs of a violent death in the case of the one woman with a rope near her body, and the other two bodies – the man and woman – likely, “did not die of natural causes.” Yet there is unlikely to be an investigation. According to the report, the UN received complaints that employees from the SNM and SENAFRONT, the Panamanian national border force, “requested sexual exchanges from the women and girls housed in the San Vicente Migration Reception Center who lack the money to cover the aforementioned transportation costs, with the promise of allowing them to get on the coordinated buses by the Panamanian authorities so that they can continue their journey to the border with Costa Rica.” The Panamanian government did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on allegations that SNM and SENAFRONT employees sexually exploited women and girls at San Vicente.