A second police chief in Peru’s southern Ayacucho Department has been arrested for drug trafficking in less than two weeks. Captain Carlos Izaguirre, 46, from the small town of Quinua, in Huamanga province, was arrested Jan.24 with officer Ernesto Ramos, 41, for allegedly reselling cocaine that had been confiscated in their jurisdiction, according to daily La República.
The men were reportedly arrested in the city of Huamanga, capital of Ayacucho Department and 35 km from their Quinua jurisdiction, after police found traces of cocaine in their vehicle.
A police search of Ramos’s home also turned up $3,400, a fortune considering Peru’s police reportedly earn on average 800 soles, or less than $300, a month. The daily reported that examinations of the bills also found traces of cocaine.
Police are reportedly seeking two other officers from the Quinua post who are suspected of collaborating with Izaguirre and Ramos.
One of the greatest difficulties in fighting the multi-billion dollar illegal drug trade is corruption, and Peru is the world’s second largest cocaine producer after Colombia.
On Jan. 13, the police chief of San Miguel, in La Mar province, was arrested for drug trafficking after a shootout with police officers outside the city of Ayacucho. Police found 59 packages of cocaine in the captain’s police vehicle along with an AKM rifle and numerous pistols.
