Peru burns more than 10 tons of seized drugs

Peru on Monday began incinerating more than 10 tons of drugs seized between December 2021 and March 2022. Peruvian authorities said that more than 6.2 tons of basic cocaine paste will be burned, as well as more than 4.6 tons of cocaine hydrochloride.

Other types of drugs, seized between December and March that will also be burned, include 5 tons of marijuana and 7 tons of amphetamine derivatives. Police work is often affected by the corruption of agents who steal drugs from drug traffickers and resell them.

According to official data, between 2020 and 2021, 131 police officers were arrested for being linked to drug trafficking groups. Peru is the world's second-largest producer of cocaine and the second largest grower of coca leaves, from which the drug is made, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United Nations.