Cocaine bricks with Nazi insignia in Peru. May. 26, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/@JrmChenu

Lima, July 8 (RHC)-- Anti-narcotics authorities of Peru have intercepted a shipment of 58 kg (127 pounds) of cocaine headed to Belgium, which was concealed in packages that bearing the Nazi insignia and imprinted with the name of Germany’s wartime leader Hitler.

According to images disclosed by law enforcement officials, the narcotics were concealed within 50 bricks-like packages, with each unit displaying a Nazi swastika.  Several packages were found to be unsealed, with the inscription of "Hitler" embossed on the tightly compressed white substance.

The discovery of illicit substances was made on a boat registered under the Liberian flag and located in the northern seaport community of Paita, close to the frontier shared with Ecuador.  The boat had come from Guayaquil, which is recognized as a significant embarkation point for narcotics from South America to the United States and Europe.

It remains unclear whether the authorities apprehended any individuals.  Law enforcement authorities persisted with their examination of the vessel's excess of 80 containers.

According to official data, Peru constitutes the second-largest cultivator of cocaine globally, trailing only Colombia.  The annual production of this illicit substance in the country stands at approximately 400 tons.  Colombia is also a prominent producer of the coca leaf industry on a global scale, with lawful applications including its ingestion as a stimulant or brewing into a flavored beverage.  The same consignments of coca leaves also function as the primary source for the production of cocaine.