---
category: Landmark
summary: The Panama Canal is the Atlantic-to-Pacific waterway whose 1977 treaty negotiations
  with Panama's General Torrijos created a U.S. policy conflict with drug enforcement
  interests given Torrijos's family's alleged involvement in the cocaine trade.
tags:
- Place
- Landmark
- Panama
- Carter
- Torrijos
---

The [Panama Canal](/places/panama-canal/) is a vital waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In 1977, the [Jimmy Carter](/people/jimmy-carter/) administration was determined to sign a treaty regarding the Panama Canal with [General Torrijos](/people/general-torrijos/). This determination reportedly influenced the administration's reluctance to pursue Torrijos, despite his and his family members' alleged involvement at the highest levels of the world cocaine trade.[^1]

---

[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.