EU to Support Anti Money Laundering Efforts in Peru

The European Union is to provide support to Peru to combat money laundering from the illicit drug trade, the head of the EU’s delegation in Peru, Hans Allden, said. “It is a clear priority of the European Union to reinforce the ambitions of Peru and other countries (in Latin America) regarding money laundering, in a wider [...]

Cabinet Chief Valdes Says Development Needed for VRAE

Following an attack Monday by traffickers that claimed the life of one military officer and wounded four soldiers, Peru’s new cabinet chief, Oscar Valdes, said the government will tackle drug trafficking in the Apurimac and Ene river valley, or VRAE, by increasing development and state-presence in the isolated coca-growing region.   Valdes, the former Interior Minister, said [...]

U.S. Seeks Partners to Support Peru’s Anti-Drug Program

Budgetary constraints are leading the U.S. government to seek other nations with which to share the cost of supporting Peru’s counter-narcotics program, according to U.S. Ambassador Rose Likins during the CADE 2011 business conference in Cusco on Thursday. Likins’ announcement follows statements made earlier this week in Lima by William Brownfield, U.S. assistant secretary of state for [...]

Peru Looks to Decrease Coca Cultivations by 20 Percent

Peru’s new anti-drug plan will involve reducing the number of hectares used to grow coca leaves by 20 percent to 48,000 hectares, a government official said Monday. The five-year plan was created by Peru’s anti-drug agency Devida and submitted to President Ollanta Humala’s cabinet for approval. Ricardo Soberon, the head of Devida, announced the plan [...]

Police, Military Confiscate Almost 1 Ton of Cocaine

Peruvian police and army officials have confiscated almost a ton of cocaine this week during two separate operations in the coca-growing region known as the Apurimac and Ene river valley, or VRAE. On Thursday, police in the counter-narcotics division, known as Dirandro, seized 415 kilograms of cocaine in Ayacucho department’s Huanta province, daily El Comercio [...]

Devida Aims to Convert VRAE into Agricultural Hub

Peru’s anti-drug agency, Devida, said Wednesday that its goal is to convert the coca-growing Apurimac and Ene river valleys into a productive center for agricultural products, state news agency Andina reported. The valleys, known as the VRAE and located in central Peru, are  the country’s top producing area of coca, the raw material used to [...]

Peru Seeks to Eradicate 10,000 Ha of Coca by end 2011

Peru’s government is aiming to eradicate 10,000 hectares of coca leaf this year, Interior Minister Oscar Valdes said.  The annual quota of 10,000 ha was already in place before the new Humala administration took office, but as late as August only 4,000 had been eradicated.  The program has not been considered a success in the past [...]

Peru’s Soberon To Present Anti-Drug Plan To Congress Tuesday

The head of Peru’s anti-drugs agency, Ricardo Soberon, will be in Congress today to present the government’s new policies for combating the drug trade, state news agency Andina reported. Legislator Tomas Zamudio of President Ollanta Humala’s Gana Peru party said that Soberon will make the presentation to Congress’ Defense Committee, of which Zamudio is president. “Soberon will explain in detail the [...]

Peru Anti-Drug Chief Says Won’t Resign

The head of Peru’s anti-drug agency, Ricardo Soberon, said Wednesday that he will not resign from his post following heavy criticism led by the country’s largest newspaper and opponents of President Ollanta Humala. “No, I’m not going to resign. I have the support of cabinet chief [Salomon Lerner Ghitis], and once we have finished [our study], [...]

Drug Policy Expert Supports Peru’s Move To Reevaluate Coca Eradication

A leading expert on drug policy in Latin America said Friday that she supported the Peruvian government’s decision in August to temporarily suspend coca eradication in order to reevaluate its counter-drugs policy. Coletta Youngers of the Washington Office on Latin America said that Peru’s drug policy over the last decade has shown few results. “I [...]

« Previous Page — Next Page »