Peru Seeks 30 Year Sentence For Ex-Owner Of Peruvian Airlines

A Peruvian state attorney is seeking a 30 year prison sentence for businessman Cesar Cataño, the former owner of airline company Peruvian Airlines, for money laundering, newspaper El Comercio reported.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses Cataño of laundering money from drug trafficking through a number of companies. El Comercio says these companies include Kanawaga Corporation SAC, Import Export Vizcar SA, Transportes Aereos Cielos Andinos SAC and Peruvian Airlines. 

A report by the Anti-drug police finds that Cataño has been unable to account for some $663 million between 1990 and 2000. Read more…

Peru Reiterates Position On Drug Legalization At Regional Summit

Foreign Relations Minister Rafael Roncagliolo has reiterated Peru’s position against legalizing drugs, state news agency Andina reported.

Roncagliolo made the comments at the Sixth Summit of the Americas, held during this past weekend in the Colombian coastal city of Cartagena. The issue of drug legalization was being touted as one of the big issues at the summit, as a number of Latin American leaders have hinted recently that this may be necessary in order to Read more…

Humala: Gov’t Aiming For “Zero Cost” To Shining Path Kidnapping

President Ollanta Humala said Thursday that Peru’s security forces are looking to resolve the kidnapping of up to 40 natural gas workers by suspected Shining Path rebels with “zero cost” to the hostages.

“We are taking into account the life of the workers,” said Humala, according to daily El Comercio.

Humala’s comments were his first since the 36 to 40 workers were kidnapped early Read more…

Peru Expects 80 Countries To Participate In Drug Summit

Authorities from about 80 countries plan to participate in an anti-drugs summit that Peru is to host in June, a top Peruvian official said.

Carmen Masias, the head of Peru’s anti-drug agency Devida, said the summit will be held from June 25 to 26, state news agency Andina reported.

“We hope that 70 or 80 countries will participate,” Masias said. “At this moment, we are working closely with the prime minister’s office and the Foreign Relations Read more…

Peru Anti-Drug Chief Says Won’t Support Drug Legalization Proposals

Peru’s anti-drug chief ruled out that the Andean country will support a growing call in the region to legalize drugs, an initiative that she says would do little to combat criminal groups that control the multi-billion dollar illicit trade.

Carmen Masias, the head of Peru’s anti-drug agency Devida, said however that although Peru is against the legalization of drugs it is open to discussing the issue at the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Colombia.

A number of current and former Latin American leaders have said that governments should consider legalizing drugs as a way to combat criminal groups Read more…

Peru Seeks To Decrease Coca Production By 30% In 2016

Peru’s government approved on Tuesday a five-year national plan that aims to decrease the production of illegal coca by 30% in 2016, and strengthen alternative and sustainable development in the coca-growing valleys.

Premier Oscar Valdes’ office said in a statement that the strategy, which was created by Peru’s anti-drug agency Devida, involves eradicating 14,000 hectares of coca in 2012, 18,000 hectares in 2013, and 22,000 hectares in 2014.

In 2015, Peru aims to eradicate 26,000 hectares and in 2016 the goal is to eradicate 30,000 hectares. “These goals will contribute to reducing illegal coca Read more…

Andean Nations Look To Harmonize Anti-Drug Policies

The Andean Community of Nations – which includes Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru – is aiming to establish a program that will harmonize their anti-drug and alternative development policies, state news agency Andina reported.

Adalid Contreras, the secretary general of regional group, known as CAN, said the four countries are working on a proposal harmonize information on the drug trade that will support public policies.

“Its objective is to establish a program to harmonize data collection methods of Read more…

Growing Drug Consumption In Peru A Concern – U.S. Gov’t

An increase in illicit drug consumption in Peru is a growing concern, while the country lacks sufficient facilities and resources to provide treatment to drug-abusers, the U.S. government said.

The U.S. State Department, in its 2012 International Narcotics Control Strategy report, said that about 1 million Peruvians use illegal drugs, while there are some 150,000 addicts in the country.

Public treatment facilities are “insufficient,” with only 6,000 addicts receiving care in 2010, the report said. “The [Government of Peru’s] Ministry of Health is Read more…

Peru Anti-Drug Chief Calls For Greater Women’s Empowerment

Peru’s anti-drug chief Carmen Masias said Thursday that the country’s counter-drug policy will promote the empowerment of women to boost alternative development over coca farming, state news agency Andina reported.

Masias said that many rural women, especially those who live in the coca-growing regions, are often not only the heads of family but also play an important role in cultivating alternative crops to coca, such as coffee and cacao.  Several international cooperation programs for alternative development Read more…

Peru Police Capture Shining Path Leader’s Successor

Over the weekend Peruvian police captured the successor of Shining Path leader Florindo Flores , state news agency Andina reported.

Flores, alias Comrade Artemio, was captured last month in a joint police and military operation in the Upper Huallaga Valley, where he led one of the last two remaining splinter groups of the bloody Shining Path. The other group is located further south, in the Apurimac and Ene river valleys, or VRAE.

The VRAE and the Upper Huallaga Valley are Peru’s top growing regions for coca, Read more…

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