Updated 04:44 AM EDT, Tue, Mar 19, 2024

Peru the New Narco State in Latin America? Cocaine Production Booming

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It seems like Latin America has a new narcotics state with Peru reported to produce more and more cocaine.

Vice News reported that the country has competed against Colombia in terms of cocaine production but has not made so many names when it comes to notorious drug kingpins.

It noted that in 2014, Peru was estimated to have more than 42,000 hectares of coca plantation -- the main ingredient used to make cocaine.

The same report noted that if the Colombia cocaine production is usually distributed to various areas in the United States, Peru spreads it to other parts of the globe like London, Brazil and Tokyo.

With cocaine production steadily increasing in the country, it should be noted that coca plantations in Peru are situated mostly near the Ene Rivers and the Valley of the Apurimac. These areas are said to be close to the border of Bolivia, a country also known for producing cocaine.

Along with the boom of the cocaine industry in Peru, Vice News claimed that one of the well-known drug lords in the country is Gerson Gálvez Calle, better known as his nickname "Caracol."

He became famous in the country by the end of last year after it was reported that he was the leader of the drug group called "Barrio King."

The emergence of the drug group has since sparked questions among many about how they operate in the country and why the country is slowly making its name as the new narco state.

According to the New York Post, the transport and trade of the cocaine happens through an "air bridge," where a plane carrying bundles of cash lands in coca plantations, where the money is exchanged for more than 300 kilos of the illegal drugs.

The same report added that the cocaine shipment is then flown to Bolivia.

This method of getting cocaine from the country has raised eyebrows among many and highlighted the inability of the government to stop these illegal trades.

There were also issues about corruption in the military, with the New York Post claiming that some military officers earn around $10,000 for every flight in exchange for not bothering the air trade.

These activities are again slowly making Peru the No. 1 producer of coca among other countries just like in 2013.

Insight Crime noted that the United Nations declared that the country surpassed Colombia as the No. 1 cocaine producer three years ago.

For that year, the UN reported that Peru was able to produce 340 tons of cocaine because of its vast plantations of coca.

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