(Lima) Cocaine seized in Peru will be converted into concrete blocks, a process that reduces the environmental impact of incineration, the Interior Ministry announced Thursday.
“Peru will reduce the environmental impact generated by the incineration of cocaine thanks to an efficient process that will be implemented […] to encapsulate these substances in concrete blocks that will be placed in landfills,” the ministry said in a statement.
He specifies that this innovative method “consists of mixing cocaine with cement, salt and chemical accelerators, among other materials, to form solid concrete blocks that make it impossible to extract the” prohibited substance.
“This encapsulation is not only irreversible and less polluting, but also more efficient, making it possible to eliminate around 60 tonnes in 40 hours maximum, whereas today it takes around 80 days,” adds the press release.
According to authorities, Peru will be the second country in the region, after Ecuador, to implement this technique, with the support of the American Bureau of International Narcotics (INL).
The Peruvian Interior Ministry incinerated more than 50 tons of drugs in 2023.
Peru is one of the largest producers of coca leaves and cocaine in the world, after Colombia.