HomeNewsBriefPeru's Shining Path is Making a Comeback, Analyst Says
BRIEF

Peru's Shining Path is Making a Comeback, Analyst Says

PERU / 25 AUG 2016 BY MIMI YAGOUB EN

A politician in Peru is urging that the security forces be deployed to "stateless" drug transit areas where one analyst says Shining Path guerrillas are making inroads, a sign the group may be expanding its territorial reach after years of decline. 

Congressman Carlos Tubino said that the Peruvian military and police should be deployed to areas without a state presence, such as the Masisea district in Ucayali, a province in central Peru on the eastern border with Brazil, Diario UNO reported. Tubino is the representative for Ucayali and vice president of the Defense and Anti-Narcotics Commission in Congress.

The congressman's comments came in response to remarks by drug and terrorism expert Jaime Antezana that a faction of the Shining Path guerrilla group -- which has long been involved in drug trafficking activities -- has expanded into Masisea.

During an interview for Canal N, Antezana said that armed columns of the Shining Path's Quispe Palomina clan have been filtering into Masisea from the Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro River Valleys (VRAEM) region since September 2013. According to Antezana, the Masisea faction now numbers between 130 and 150 people -- which would equal just under half of the total Shining Path force -- and top commander Víctor Quispe Palomino, alias "Comrade José," is also currently in the area.

"This is a process of expansion, not withdrawal," he said.

SEE ALSO:  Shining Path News and Profile

The analyst said that one reason behind the Shining Path's apparent move into Ucayali is that coca cultivation has surged in certain areas of the province, citing government technicians working to combat illegal logging in the area.

Antezana explained that Ucayali is also an important drug trafficking hub, noting that Masisea has seen an increase in drug flights due to stepped-up aerial interdiction efforts in the VRAEM.

16-08-25-Peru-Map

InSight Crime Analysis

Following the decimation of the Shining Path in Peru's Upper Huallaga Valley in 2012, the guerrilla group's presence was believed to have been reduced to the VRAEM region, where it still taxes coca production. If Antezana's analysis is correct, however, the Shining Path is not only increasing its power following a steep decline, it could also be strengthening its role in the illicit drug trade.

The sheer logistics of deploying armed cells to establish operations in the very remote Brazilian border region would be proof that the Shining Path's military capacity is greater than what the government had previously predicted.

SEE ALSO:  Peru News and Profiles

Furthermore, its apparent decision to move into Ucayali likely means the guerrillas want to increase their trafficking role further. IDL Reporteros Director Gustavo Gorriti confirmed to InSight Crime that a new air trafficking route has opened up between the VRAEM region and Ucayali, although he did not comment on the possible guerrilla presence in the area. The latest United Nations report on coca in Peru also considers Ucayali to be a key aerial and fluvial drug transit region into Brazil.

Still, there may be reason to doubt Antezana's assertions. The UN figures state that Ucayali is actually one of the areas with the lowest amount of recorded coca cultivations in the entire country due to government eradication efforts.

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

COCA / 11 JUL 2022

Following multiple killings, Indigenous leaders in the Peruvian Amazon are again facing threats of violence after coca eradication operations in…

BOLIVIA / 29 DEC 2022

The US is losing allies in Latin America just as production of cocaine, fentanyl, and other synthetic drugs is going…

ILLEGAL MINING / 11 MAY 2022

Authorities have extended a state of emergency in Peru’s illegal coal mining heartland, already mired in criminality, following a sharp…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.