Andina

Peru burns over 33 tons of seized drugs, a record high

12:31 | Lima, Jun. 16.

More than 33 tons of drugs —seized in numerous police operations carried out across the country— were burned today, marking a record high for a single destruction process of illicit substances in Peru, Interior Minister Jose Elice reported on Wednesday.

"The total amount of drugs seized is 33,000 kilograms. This is the largest historical number of drugs gathered in a single burning process," Elice said from the National Police Special Operations Unit (Diroes) headquarters in Lima's Ate district.


He highlighted the leadership and hard work of the National Police of Peru (PNP), in permanent coordination with the Public Ministry, the National Commission for Development and Life without Drugs (Devida), the National Superintendence of Customs and Tax Administration (Sunat), and the U.S. Embassy in Peru, which have enabled the burning of these drugs.

"Let us continue to work as a team, together, and in coordination with one another, to achieve a drugs-free society. We are on the right path," he emphasized.

Moreover, Elice referred to the new measures adopted to improve the process of destruction of drugs and for control of chemical inputs, which include the publication of the first national policy against drugs towards 2030.


Today's activity involved the destruction of 13.4 tons of cocaine paste, 7.6 tons of cocaine hydrochloride, 9.06 tons of marijuana, 4.2 kilograms of opium latex, as well as other drugs such as amphetamine derivatives, ecstasy, and psilocybin.

These illicit substances have been stored at the Official Warehouse of the Organized Crime Directorate General (DGCO) within the Interior Ministry (Mininter) since last April, after their seizure in various operations carried out by PNP's Anti-Drug Agency (Dirandro) and other specialized units in different areas of the country.

With this incineration, which began today and will run until July 26, the number of drugs destroyed so far this year will be 70.4 tons, thus exceeding the 50-ton target set for the current administration.

(END) LIT/RMB/MVB

Publicado: 16/6/2021