International

Peru to buy illegal coca crops to battle drug trafficking

AFP

Peru’s government has announced a plan to buy the nation’s entire supply of illegal coca leaf — the primary ingredient in cocaine — for at least a year, as part of its battle against drug trafficking.

The South American country is one of the world’s three largest producers of cocaine, alongside neighbors Colombia and Bolivia, according to the United Nations.

Peru currently produces an estimated 160,000 tons of coca leaf a year with 62,000 hectares of land dedicated to the crop.

But the vast majority of that, some 95 percent, is produced illegally and sold to drug-traffickers who turn it into about 400 tons of cocaine a year.

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

All legally grown coca must be sold to the state coca company ENACO but that amounts to only 2,500 tons a year.

Legal coca leaf producers are on a register that includes 95,000 growers. However, the government wants to create a new register for the other 400,000 unregistered producers.

“It is imperative, for at least a year, to buy coca leaf from existing registered producers and from those that will make up the newly created register,” Cabinet Chief Anibal Torres said on Wednesday when presenting the initiative.

The plan would also see the demilitarization of Peru’s main coca leaf growing valley, known by the acronym VRAEM.

Soldiers have been stationed in the south-central area since 2006, due to the continued presence of the Shining Path Maoist guerrilla movement, which is allied with drug trafficking groups.

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

Government opponents have criticized the new plan, saying it will increase drug trafficking.

“The message from the government is that it is legalizing coca leaf and it will buy illegal coca leaf. The message is grow coca, and that’s very dangerous because we are talking about a primary material used in drug trafficking,” former interior minister Ruben Vargas told AFP.

The coca leaf bought by ENACO is used to make sweets, herbal infusions, flour and for chewing like gum, which is an Andean tradition to help combat fatigue.

“By promoting the growing of coca leaf peasants will obviously have two markets: the state and drug traffickers,” added Vargas.

“It will cause immeasurable damage not just to the environment but also the governability of the country.”

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

Peru created the register of coca leaf producers in 1978 as part of a state policy to combat drug trafficking that also included the destruction of illegal crops.

Earlier this month, authorities began a weeks-long process of incinerating the 16.3 tons of illegal drugs already seized this year.

International

Trump Defies Supreme Court With New 10% Global Tariff

Defiant in the face of a judicial setback, Donald Trump on Friday imposed a new across-the-board 10% tariff after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that he does not have the authority to levy customs duties under the guise of a national emergency.

The Republican president signed the order in the Oval Office and announced on social media that the measure would take effect “almost immediately.” According to a statement from the White House, the decree will formally enter into force on February 24 for a period of 150 days.

It remains unclear whether the new tariff will apply to countries that have already negotiated trade agreements establishing rates higher than 10%.

Earlier in the day, the conservative-majority court ruled that a 1977 law cited by Trump to abruptly impose tariffs on individual countries — disrupting global trade — “does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.”

Trump said he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and accused some justices of being influenced by “foreign interests.”

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

Although he has made variable tariffs a cornerstone of his foreign policy, Trump acknowledged that it is uncertain whether the government will have to refund revenue already collected. A study by the University of Pennsylvaniaestimated that the amount at stake could reach as much as $175 billion.

“That issue was not addressed by the Court,” Trump told reporters, warning that the legal battle could drag on for “years.”

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who dissented from the Court’s 6–3 majority opinion, cautioned that the legal process could become a “mess.”

Trump denied any error or haste in using tariffs as a policy tool, arguing instead that the six justices who ruled against him were motivated by “political correctness.” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that the Court had acted “outside the law.”

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

International

U.S. Targets Members of Outgoing Boric Administration With Visa Revocations

The United States government announced on Friday the revocation of visas for three Chilean officials—whose identities were not initially disclosed—citing activities that allegedly “undermined regional security,” an accusation that Chile denies.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of State did not provide specific details about the individuals involved but criticized the outgoing administration of leftist President Gabriel Boric.

“The legacy of the Boric government will be further tarnished by actions that undermine regional security to the ultimate detriment of the Chilean people,” the statement read. It was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Chile’s Minister of Transport, Juan Carlos Muñoz, later confirmed in a video message to the press that he is among those sanctioned.

“I was recently informed that my visa to enter the United States has been revoked by that country, which I deeply regret,” Muñoz said.

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

The U.S. statement also noted that Washington hopes to “advance shared priorities, including those that strengthen security in our hemisphere, with the upcoming Kast government.”

The electoral victory of ultraconservative leader José Antonio Kast was welcomed in Washington, which has been building alliances with like-minded governments in the region to reinforce its diplomatic and economic agenda—particularly in response to China’s growing investment presence in Latin America.

“We remain committed to promoting accountability for Chilean individuals who deliberately work to destabilize our hemisphere,” the statement concluded.

International

Three Injured in Mail Package Explosion at Buenos Aires Gendarmerie Academy

Three people were injured on Friday after a mail package exploded at the Escuela Superior de Gendarmería in Buenos Aires, according to a statement released by Argentina’s Ministerio de Seguridad.

The explosion occurred at 1:49 p.m. local time (16:49 GMT) inside a building located less than one kilometer from the Government House, the ministry reported.

“Personnel from the force handled a parcel that had reportedly been received months earlier and was being stored at the facility. When it was opened, an explosion occurred, causing injuries to two officers,” the statement said.

The ministry added that both injured officers were transported to a hospital and are not in life-threatening condition. “A third officer remains in recovery and is out of danger,” authorities confirmed.

Following the incident, police cordoned off the surrounding area, halted traffic, and evacuated the 11-story building as well as adjacent buildings on the same block.

20260212_constancia_pagos_mh_728x90

Mariana Bornio, an employee at a telecommunications company located in a neighboring building, said that as she was being evacuated, she saw one of the injured gendarmes leaving the scene shirtless and covered with a blue medical gown.