$15 million up in smoke: Peruvian police burn record 50 tons of marijuana (PHOTOS)

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Published time: August 04, 2012 02:08
Edited time: August 04, 2012 11:06

Peruvian National Police showing the burning of marijuana plants in an undefined location in a region north of Lima.(AFP Photo / Mininter)

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Crime, Drugs, Police, South America

Over 200,000 marijuana plants have been destroyed in two regions of Peru. During the five-day operation, police burned 17 times more dope than during the all of 2011.

A total of 34.5 hectares of marijuana crop were torched during an operation in the La Libertad and Huanaco regions, Director of the National Police General Raul Salazar announced.

Estimates of the US black market value of the drugs could reach $15 million, the Ministry of the Interior said in a press release.

Peru is not listed as a major marijuana producer in the 2012 United Nations World Drug Report, but reports of increased seizures and the destruction of crops indicate that marijuana production in Peru is on the rise.

In early July, Peruvian authorities destroyed another 34,000 marijuana plants ready for harvest in a remote jungle region in Chinchao.

Meanwhile, the US Office of National Drug Control Policy announced that Peru is currently the top producer of cocaine on the planet, with Bolivia and Colombia far behind.

AFP Photo / Mininter

Comments (18)

workers (unregistered) 13.10.2012 20:27

Traditional assumptions.

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Giant Robo 05.08.2012 04:23

LOL

As with every other photo I have seen of cops burning marijuana he of course has put his face right into the smoke. No masks of course.... Bet they all got real nice & high.

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Francesco 04.08.2012 23:11

Why is it that most governments keep these backward laws regarding the useof this natural product,this plant is on Earth as part of the 'Godly creation' or what?They are carnivorous humans,who find it is nicer to indulge on meats,and have no conscience or just don't care about animal suffering,because they think it is 'healthy',for themselves of course,not so for the animals they kill via the butcher's shop...They do not smoke because it is a kind of SIN,most of these God abiding predators do not read Genesis where ...God made all of these GREEN Herbs for our use...Yeah Man,I am sick of the gerontocracies of the world,the pluto/technocracies of today which dictate their own preferences to the multitudes...Sick of the witchhunt,the arrogance of lawmakers,the DEA and the cops...sometimes at your door...So this War on Drugs is more important in the national news than thekilling of innocents in our streets by the Police,we all going to eat 'Thanks toMonsanto and Dupont!' which tries to dominate the World food supplies with their invented/patented genetically manipulated seeds and monsterplants!...So what a WASTE in time,$$ and legal challenges for folks whoenjoy,grow Cannabis. How could possibly anybody else be concerned byMY smoking of this plant,if this is my choice and $$$, and affect MY body!!!Keep your NOSY attitude DEA out of PEOPLE's HOLY RIGHTto ALTER their OWN MOODS,it is none of your business to teach MORE than your OWN kids what plants are right or wrong!!!...

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