Peruvian authorities said on Monday they seized 2.3 tons of cocaine hidden in ceramic tiles and then smuggled to Turkey by sea.
Police said the amount was confiscated on Friday at a warehouse in El Callao, Peru’s largest port outside the capital, Lima.
“This is the first incident of which we are aware, the cargo is in the ports of Peru, and its final destination is Turkey. We usually know ports in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and France,” said Colonel Luis Angel Bolanos, El Police Chief of Callao.
He added that the value of the seized quantity was estimated at “at least $20 million.”
Peru seized a record 86.4 tons of illicit drugs and substances last year, including 28 tons of cocaine hydrochloride, police said.
The United Nations states that Peru and neighboring Colombia are among the world’s largest producers of cocaine and the coca leaves from which it is made.
