Authorities in Peru announced on Monday that they had seized 2.3 tons of cocaine packaged under ceramic tiles, which was supposed to be shipped by sea to Turkey.

The operation was carried out Friday at a warehouse in Peru’s largest port, El Callao, near the capital, Lima, police said.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that (a shipment of drugs was) in a Peruvian port and the final destination was Turkey. The usual destinations are Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and France,” Caiyao Police Chief Luis Angel Bolanos said.

During a press conference on Monday, the police presented some of the seized drugs, which were packaged in the form of ceramic tiles placed in wooden bags loaded into a container.

According to police officer Bolanios, the value of the seized cocaine was estimated at “at least $20 million.”

According to the Peruvian police, in 2022, 86.4 tons of drugs and other illegal substances were seized in the Andean country, of which 28 tons were cocaine hydrochloride. It was a record.

According to the United Nations, Peru and Colombia are at the top of the world rankings for the production of cocaine and coca leaves, the raw material for the production of this substance.

Source: RES-IPE