Peru police seize $20 million of cocaine headed for Türkiye

Peruvian authorities said on March 27 they seized 2.3 tonnes of cocaine disguised as ceramic tiles destined for Türkiye via a growing maritime route for illicit drugs.

The drug bust happened on March 24 at a warehouse at Peru's biggest port, El Callao, just outside the capital Lima, Reuters reports, citing police.

"This is the first incident that we know of (in which the cargo was in) Peruvian ports and its final destination was Türkiye. Usually, we are aware of ports in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and France," said El Callao's police chief, Colonel Luis Angel Bolanos.

At a press conference on March 27, police displayed the cocaine, which had been fixed to rubber sheets to appear as hundreds of ceramic tiles packed in wooden boxes inside a shipping container.

Bolanos said the seized cocaine was valued at "at least $20 million".

The Andean nation seized a record 86.4 tonnes of drugs and illicit substances last year, 28 tonnes of which were cocaine hydrochloride, police data shows.

Peru and nearby Colombia are among the top global producers of cocaine and of the coca leaf, it is made of, according to the United Nations.