Peru Battles Thriving Drug Trade

Surging cocaine production is rattling Peru after years of relative calm, raising fears that the associated increase in violence and corruption could derail one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America.

The cultivation of coca, and the capacity to make cocaine from it, have been steadily rising in Peru, while neighboring Colombia has been aggressively cracking down on production. Peruvian cocaine exports, according to one study, have overtaken those from Colombia, though Colombia remains the world's leader in cocaine production.


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