Peruvian police destroyed some 207,000 marijuana plants in a five-day operation that took place in two separate areas of the country, according to the Minister of Interior, Wilfredo Pedraza.
The crops would have produced 50 tons of marijuana, with a market value of around $15 million.
Pedraza said that 60 police were involved in the operations, destroying the crops in Huanuco, southeast of Lima, and in the department of La Libertad on the north coast.
The seizure of marijuana during the operation was 17 times more than all of the marijuana seized during 2011, Pedraza said.
“Last year they destroyed a total of 3,000 kilograms of marijuana nationwide,” he said. “Now, with just this operation “Moño Rojo” we have destroyed 51,700 kilos.”
Pedraza said that the operation was one of the most important hits against drug trafficking in recent years.
Peru is known to be a major producer of cocaine. The U.S. government released a report recently saying that Peru had overtaken Colombia as the world’s top cocaine producer.
