HomeNewsBrief3.5 Tn Peru Cocaine Seizure Tied to Mexicans, Destined for Europe
BRIEF

3.5 Tn Peru Cocaine Seizure Tied to Mexicans, Destined for Europe

COCAINE / 27 AUG 2014 BY MARGUERITE CAWLEY EN

Authorities in Peru have discovered at least 3.5 tons of cocaine that police say was destined to be shipped from the Pacific coast to Europe by Mexican groups, highlighting the territorial reach of Mexico's drug trafficking networks.

In an operation beginning on August 25, Peruvian antinarcotics police intercepted eight vehicles transporting coal with cocaine hidden inside in Huanchaco, a city in the coastal La Libertad region. Officials have not finished measuring the cocaine load, but they believe it could be in excess of four tons, reported El Comercio.

The seizure followed weeks of investigation into two legally constituted coal export companies, according to the Interior Ministry. Two Mexicans and seven Peruvians were arrested during the operation, reported RPP Noticias.

Interior Minister Daniel Urresti said the cocaine shipment belonged to a Mexican cartel, but he did not name the group, reported AFP

According to the authorities, the shipment was destined for the Peruvian ports of Callao, in the Lima region, and Paita, in Piura, from where it was to be sent by sea to Belgium and Spain. 

InSight Crime Analysis

If the drug shipment did belong to a Mexican cartel, the fact that it was allegedly being shipped straight from Peru's coast to Europe serves as another indication of the increasing reach of Mexico's criminal groups and how geographically removed their operations can be from their home turf. 

The Sinaloa Cartel is the most internationally expansionist of the Mexican criminal organizations, and is believed to have a permanent presence in Peru. One of the alleged destinations of the shipment within Peru -- Paita -- was also the site of a Europe-bound four ton cocaine seizure last year, and one of the suspects arrested was believed to have Sinaloa ties.

SEE ALSO: Sinaloa Cartel News and Profile

Another Mexican group that has been documented in the country is the now largely defunct Tijuana Cartel, which maintained ties for years with a recently arrested Peruvian capo

The size of the cocaine load is also a point of interest. While Mexican groups have made inroads into the European market -- three Mexican cartels were reported to be battling for control over Spain's cocaine trade this past spring -- police have said they prefer to send smaller drug shipments overseas to prevent major product losses to seizures. The multi-ton load seized in Huanchaco, however, indicates that in some cases Mexican cartels are moving large loads to Europe, as Colombian groups are known to do

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

HOMICIDES / 19 OCT 2022

Mothers searching for their missing loved ones in Mexico have been murdered, threatened, and ignored, despite government pledges to protect…

GULF CARTEL / 12 MAR 2023

A faction of one of Mexico's oldest organized crime groups is doing damage control following the murder of two US…

COCAINE / 15 JUN 2021

A recent report on drug trafficking and consumption in Europe highlights the acceleration of existing trends and the emergence of…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…