In this photo taken by the Peruvian Anti-Drug Police, an officer displays blocks of cocaine marked with Nazi swastikas and stamped with the name “HITLER,” in the port of Paita, Piura region, Peru, Thursday, May 25, 2023. (Peruvian Anti-Drug Police via AP )
In a surprise operation, Peru’s anti-drug police seized 58 packages of cocaine bearing Nazi symbols and the word “Hitler” on Thursday.
This alarming seizure took place in the town of Paita, located on Peru’s northern Pacific coast, near the border with Ecuador.
How was the drug bust
According to the police report obtained by The Associated Press, the drugs were hidden in a cargo container on board the Liberian ship SC Anisha R. This ship had previously called at an Ecuadorian port and had a Belgian port as its final destination.
The cocaine was meticulously hidden in the vents of the shipping container, which also contained asparagus. More than 80 people on the ship were subjected to a thorough investigation by the police.
Video footage and photos obtained by the Associated Press confirmed the presence of the cocaine packages bearing the unusual Nazi symbols.
An unprecedented find
While Peruvian authorities have reported numerous cocaine seizures in the past, this is the first case where packages were marked with the Nazi German flag. This peculiar fact has caught the attention of both local authorities and the international community.
The use of these symbols in the drug trade raises many questions about the possible links between the traffickers and neo-Nazi groups, as well as the possible route of the drug.
No additional information about possible arrests or the identification of those responsible has been released following this unusual finding.
The problem of drug trafficking in Peru
Peru is one of the world’s largest drug exporters, shipping more than 100 tons of the drug annually, mostly to Europe, both by sea and by small planes that carry the cocaine to Bolivia before heading to Atlantic ports.
The United Nations ranks Peru as the world’s second-largest coca leaf grower, while the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ranks it as the world’s second-largest producer of cocaine.
This recent seizure reinforces the Peruvian authorities’ ongoing fight against drug trafficking and highlights the importance of international cooperation to tackle this global problem.
