The new routes of drugs and death in the coca-growing valley of Vraem

Drug traffickers use mules and ‘backpackers’

In the Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro Rivers (Vraem), 21 ‘backpacker’ routes dedicated to the transportation of cocaine have been identified: 16 by land, 11 by water and 6 points from where small planes loaded with narcotics take off. This territory covers five departments, ten provinces and 69 districts, and is the epicenter of a network financed with millions of dollars from organized crime. Cocaine produced in clandestine laboratories by national and foreign drug traffickers, and remnants of the militarized terrorist group Communist Party of Peru, is transported to the coast or to Bolivia through land, river, air and by ‘backpackers’.

Former Prime Minister Alberto Otárola admitted in Congress the exponential growth of drug trafficking in the last eight years. Between 2015 and 2022, coca cultivation areas in the Amazon increased by 135%, which has allowed Peru to produce 800 tons of cocaine annually and become the world’s second largest exporter of this drug. This illegal trade generates an economy that harms local communities.

According to police intelligence sources, at the manufacturing site, a kilo of cocaine hydrochloride costs approximately US$1,300. When transported by light aircraft from Alto Pichas, its price rises to US$2,300. In Bolivia, this kilo can be worth between US$2,800 and 3,000. Transported to Salta, Argentina, its value increases to US$3,800-4,000. Upon arrival in Spain, it can reach 30,000 euros.

The small planes that fly from Peru to Bolivia can carry between 150 and 400 kilos of cocaine. The take-off fields are located in remote and difficult-to-access areas. The people who receive the cargo in the mountains earn about US$300, while the transport organizers keep 15-20% of the cargo.

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Drug traffickers use mules and ‘backpackers’ to move drugs. Groups of 20-25 young people transport backpacks with 15-25 kilos of cocaine along mule paths and trails, escorted by hitmen or terrorist remnants of the Shining Path to prevent robberies. Identified routes include routes from Anco to Talavera in Ayacucho, and from the Ene River to Satipo in Junín, among others.

By land, 16 routes are active, with vehicles leaving from Sivia, San Francisco, Villa Virgen, and other points, reaching Lima, Pasco, Ucayali and Bolivia. By river, 11 routes use the Apurímac River, with boats that sail to Puerto Prado, Atalaya and Sepahua. The air route includes clandestine flights between Peru and Bolivia, with uncovered runways in Pasco, Ucayali and Cusco.

On February 11, 2023, seven police officers were ambushed and killed by narcoterrorists in La Convencion, Cusco. This attack was considered retaliation against a successful military operation against the Shining Path, but some experts interpret it as revenge for drug trafficking.

Former Minister of the Interior Rubén Vargas highlights that 70% of Peruvian cocaine comes from Vraem, where there are only two anti-drug bases. He also mentions that more than 20,000 legal coca growers are pushed into illegality due to Enaco’s monopoly and purchasing practices.

So far, 43.3 tons of cocaine, pasta and marijuana have been seized, and 49 criminal networks have been dismantled so far this year. In addition, 33 clandestine landing strips have been identified in the region.