Police operation in southern Lima: 620 kg of cocaine valued at US$18.6 million seized and three arrested
The National Police dismantled a storage centre belonging to "Los Caleteros de Villa" on Avenida Industrial containing 556 packages of cocaine. Three people were detained and the drugs were reportedly destined for Mexico.
620 kilos of cocaine found in clandestine warehouse in southern Lima; three arrested
A police operation carried out in southern Lima resulted in the seizure of 620 kilogrammes of cocaine hydrochloride, valued at approximately US$18.6 million, according to infobae.com. The intervention, conducted at a property on Avenida Industrial, made it possible to identify three people allegedly linked to the criminal organisation known as "Los Caleteros de Villa".
The operation was led by the Anti-Drug Directorate (Dirandro) with support from the General Intelligence Directorate of the Interior Ministry (Digimin), and was the result of weeks of specialised surveillance.
Interior Minister presented the results
Interior Minister César Astudillo Salcedo presented the results of the operation on Tuesday 10 November alongside the general commander of the National Police (PNP), Fredy López. Both officials detailed the findings at the property on Avenida Industrial, where officers found rooms specially fitted out to store drug packages before distribution.
The investigation made it possible to trace the movement of the shipment from Huallaga—an area historically linked to the production and transport of narcotics—to the Peruvian capital. According to the Interior Ministry (Mininter), agents carried out specialised surveillance of the vehicles allegedly used to transport the drugs, which allowed them to establish the final destination and intervene at the property.
"This is not a laboratory or a maceration pit, this is a storage centre. And we continue to deal hard blows against this crime," Minister Astudillo emphasised.
556 packages distributed across two rooms
During the search of the property, police found two spaces used to store cocaine. In the first they found 156 rectangular packages of the type known as "ladrillo". In the second space they located 11 hessian sacks containing 400 additional packages. In total, officers recovered 556 packages equivalent to 620 kilogrammes of cocaine hydrochloride.
The general commander of the National Police noted that the seized substance was undergoing field chemical tests to confirm its contents, and that several samples had already tested positive for cocaine hydrochloride whilst analyses continued.
The operation was part of the actions of the Unified Command, a strategy that coordinates various specialised units to combat criminal organisations.
Two arrested at the property and a third on the North Panamericana
In addition to the drugs, the National Police reported that two people were detained inside the establishment and a third was located on the North Panamericana highway. As for the vehicles, two vans and a truck were seized at the property, and a fourth van was stopped on the same road.
During the search, three operational pistols, ammunition and a silencer were also found. The Mininter report additionally recorded the seizure of nine mobile phones. The seized assets will be incorporated into the investigations to determine the alleged involvement of those detained and the connections of the organisation.
Hypothesis: the drugs were reportedly destined for Mexico via Callao
According to one of the main lines of investigation being pursued by Dirandro, the 620-kilo shipment was reportedly destined for Mexico. Investigators suspect that the cocaine, originating from Huallaga, would be transported from the intercepted storage centre to Callao port, from where it would leave the country by sea.
During the operation, agents found elements pointing to that alleged international route: thermal and waterproof bags with a capacity of 80 kilos each, which according to police information are used to protect drug shipments on maritime voyages.
Another relevant detail is the markings identified on the packages. Some bore symbols associated with Lacoste and the word "Hilux", which, according to Minister Astudillo, would serve to differentiate the origin and owners of shipments within drug trafficking networks.
The Mexico hypothesis is also consistent with the economic valuation of the narcotic. According to police estimates released during the operation, each kilogramme of cocaine hydrochloride can reach approximately US$30,000 in Mexican territory, which would raise the total value of the shipment to approximately US$18.6 million.
Investigation continues to establish the full network
Authorities must determine who organised the transport of the shipment, how the alleged distribution network operated and what the intended destination was for the 620 kilos seized. The property on Avenida Industrial did not function as a laboratory or production area, but exclusively as a logistical concentration point before continuing with the distribution chain, according to clarification by Mininter.
Source: Google News PE — Lima