Peru seizes cocaine marked with Nazi swastikas headed for Belgium

Dozens of packages of cocaine marked with Nazi swastikas and the name "Hitler" have been seized at a port in northern Peru, from where they would have been shipped to Belgium, police said.

Police said on Friday they were investigating whether there were links to Nazi groups, saying there were no well-known groups in Peru and that it was possible the symbol was only being used as a style.

Drugs are often identified with a symbol representing the group which makes or moves the product.

The 50 "bricks" of cocaine, weighing some 58 kilos and worth $3 million were discovered by anti-drug agents inside a refrigerated container in the port of Paita, Police Colonel Luis Bolanos told reporters.

Peru and Colombia are the largest producers of coca leaf and cocaine in the world, according to the United Nations.

Last year alone, Peruvian authorities seized more than 86 tonnes of drugs and illicit substances, including 28 tonnes of cocaine.

Nazis in South America

After being shipped to a Belgian port, Bolanos said the drugs would have been distributed across Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Spain.

After World War II, thousands of high-ranking Nazi officers sought refuge in South America, while in Europe, captured leaders stood trial for crimes against humanity.

A number of fringe neo-Nazi groups have since emerged across Europe, including in Belgium.

After its neighbour Colombia, Peru is the largest producer of cocaine in the world, with around 400 tons a year, according to official figures.

The country is also one of the largest producers of coca leaf, a product which is legal when used to chew or make an infusion but is also the primary material in cocaine.

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Source: TRT World