Peru burns nearly nine tonnes of drugs

Peru incinerated 8.8 tonnes of seized drugs in the capital in what authorities described as the sixth and final burn of the year. The operation, carried out at the Special Operations Directorate (Diroes) facility in Ate, was overseen by Interior Minister Vicente Tiburcio Orbezo and involved prosecutors, forensic technicians, police and international representatives, including an official from the U.S. Embassy, the Interior Ministry said.

Footage released by the ministry showed workers weighing sacks of narcotics, forensic staff conducting chemical tests and the minister verifying results before feeding the consignments into the incinerator. The ministry said the 8,818.97 kilos raised the total destroyed in 2025 to 55.6 tonnes, with more than 70% classified as cocaine-type substances. The seizures that led to the destruction were made throughout the year in National Police operations across multiple regions — including jungle areas where coca cultivation is concentrated — as well as at ports and transit routes.

Officials said every stage of the incineration was recorded and monitored to ensure transparency and prevent evidence diversion; the batches destroyed had already been presented in court or were no longer required for ongoing cases. Authorities framed the operation as the product of coordinated actions by police, prosecutors and the armed forces, with international support, and described it as both a symbolic and material blow to criminal networks by removing large quantities of drugs and depriving traffickers of revenue.

The official account also highlighted intensified control measures during the year, including aerial surveillance, river patrols and joint operations with neighboring countries to counter cross-border trafficking. Still, officials acknowledged that production and smuggling remain major challenges: criminal groups adapt by changing routes, exploiting remote terrain and using increasingly sophisticated methods to evade detection.

The government reiterated its commitment to a comprehensive strategy combining enforcement with alternative development programs to provide legal livelihoods for communities engaged in coca cultivation. Authorities added that, despite closing the annual cycle of destructions, incinerations and other measures will continue next year as part of ongoing efforts against drug trafficking and its social and economic impacts.