Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Peru Seizes Over 39 Kilos of Cocaine Hidden on Ship’s Hull at Paita Port

A coordinated port inspection uncovered the stash in a hull-mounted container, with prosecutors overseeing custody and an investigation now underway.

Overview

  • Specialized teams from the Anti-Drug Police, the Public Ministry and the port captaincy inspected the merchant vessel Leonidas Z after it arrived from Colombia.
  • Agents found an orange rectangular metal structure affixed to the stern containing 30 brick-type packages weighing about 39 kilograms of cocaine.
  • The operation took place near Muelle Marginal No. 2 at the Euroandinos terminal in Paita, where authorities have stepped up checks on high-risk routes such as Buenaventura–Paita.
  • No arrests were reported and the seized narcotics were placed under the custody of the competent authorities in the presence of the on-duty prosecutor.
  • In a separate land case tied to December 2025 in Amazonas, a court approved nine months of preventive detention on January 5 for Ysaul Zurita and Marco Cercado as the drug-trafficking probe continues.