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. [...]

Peru Military Commander: “Sooner or Later” to Finish Shining Path Remnants

The commander general of Peru’s army, Victor Ripalda, said Friday that “sooner or later” the country’s security forces will defeat Shining Path remnants. “What is certain is that sooner or later we have to finish with this scourge,” Ripalda said, according to state news agency Andina. In a joint operation, the military and police captured [...]

Shining Path Attack Kills One Soldier In VRAE

Days after President Ollanta Humala announced the capture of the head of the Shining Path remnants in the Upper Huallaga Valley, another rebel splinter group launched an attack on a military base that killed one army officer, newspaper El Comercio reported. The attack by the Shining Path remnants occurred in the Apurimac and Ene river valley. Officials [...]

Isolated Peru Police Station Attacked, Two Injured

At least two police officers were badly injured following an attack on a police station near Quillabamba in the Cusco region, allegedly perpetrated by drug traffickers of the coca-growing Apurimac and Ene river valley, or VRAE, authorities say. The attack occurred early Monday in the town of Pucyura, district of Vilcabamba, in Cusco’s La Convencion province, [...]

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 [...]

Police Seize 155 Kgs Of Cocaine Paste In Southern Peru

Peru’s National Police on Friday seized 155 kilograms of cocaine paste from two individuals travelling on a highway between the southern cities of Cusco and Arequipa. The seizure occurred early Friday and was part of operations surrounding year-end celebrations in Cusco, state news agency Andina reported. The cocaine paste, worth approximately $60,000 in Europe, was being [...]

Peru Authorizes $77.2 Mlln Credit for VRAE Works

Peru’s government authorized Wednesday a supplementary credit of 210 million soles ($77.2 million) to support public investment in the Apurimac and Ene river valley, state news agency Andina reported. The funds will be used by regional and local governments to support projects aimed at improving the social and economic conditions of the poorest groups in [...]

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 [...]

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