Candidate for mayor of Culebras arrested over trafficking of 72 kilos of ketamine
Miguel Ángel Bernal Baltodano, an APP candidate in Áncash, was arrested for alleged drug trafficking linked to the seizure of 72 kg of ketamine in Callao.
APP candidate in Áncash detained a week before municipal elections
Miguel Ángel Bernal Baltodano, candidate of Alliance for Progress (APP) for mayor of the district of Culebras, in the province of Huarmey (Áncash), was detained as part of an investigation into alleged illicit drug trafficking, according to infobae.com.
The detention is linked to the seizure of 72 kilos of ketamine intercepted on 22 July at a port terminal in Callao. The shipment arrived from the Netherlands hidden inside a compressor machine, along with two other pieces of equipment—a wheel balancer and a tyre mounting machine—that appeared to be destined for the automotive sector.
During inspection of one of the pieces of equipment, police officers found 21 packages concealed within its structure. A field test confirmed the presence of ketamine, a substance that can be used as an input in the production of synthetic drugs such as so-called tusi.
The head of the National Police Anti-Drug Directorate (Dirandro), Manuel Vidarte, stated on the programme Cuarto Poder that Bernal Baltodano is being investigated as a suspected "logistics operator" for the organisation: he allegedly participated in the importation, transport, storage and customs clearance of the shipment until its final destination in Peru.
Vidarte estimated that the 72 kilos seized have an approximate value of 120,000 US dollars on the illegal market, at a rate of between 1,200 and 1,500 dollars per kilogramme.
Along with Bernal Baltodano, a second man was arrested who, according to investigations, had maintained an employment relationship with the candidate for approximately a decade. The reconstruction of communications, movements and coordination linked to the importation of the shipment was key to identifying both detainees.
Vidarte clarified that the candidate has no criminal or police records, although he does have open fiscal investigations related to the alleged offence of illicit drug trafficking. "That would provide certain contribution to what are the indications for continuing to be investigated," stated the anti-narcotics chief.
The detention occurs a week before the regional and municipal elections on 4 October, in which Peruvians will elect 25 regional governors, 196 provincial mayors and 1,696 district mayors, among other positions. These elections mark the end of the country's electoral year, which began with the general elections in April and the second round of the presidential election in June.
APP is the party founded by businessman and politician César Acuña, who participated as a presidential candidate in the general elections and announced his withdrawal from politics after learning the results. During the presidential debate organised by the National Electoral Jury (JNE) in March, the candidate for the Front of Hope, Fernando Olivera, accused Acuña of leading a supposed "criminal organisation" and linked him to the Sánchez Paredes family, investigated in the past for alleged activities related to drug trafficking. Olivera also claimed that Acuña had used César Vallejo University—of which he is founder—as a money-laundering "laundromat," and questioned his management as governor of La Libertad due to the advancement of criminal organisations in that region.
Source: Google News PE — Crime