Peru Considers Allowing Military to Again Shoot Down Drug-Smuggling Planes
Peru Considers Allowing Military to Again Shoot Down Drug-Smuggling Planes
Government Has Program Under Review as It Seeks to Fight Cocaine Trade
By Robert Kozak
April 25, 2014 10:11 p.m. ET
LIMA, Peru—The government of Peru said Friday it is reviewing whether to allow its military to shoot down suspected drug-smuggling aircraft again, just three days after neighboring Bolivia said it would permit its air force to do so.
Peru suspended the program in 2001 after the military accidentally shot down a civilian Cessna carrying an American missionary family, killing a woman and her 7-month-old daughter. The tragedy led to international criticism of the policy, which had been carried out over Peru by Peruvian pilots with American logistical assistance.
But now Peru has become the biggest exporter of cocaine, according to the country's antidrug czar Carmen Masías, prompting the government to ratchet up its war on cocaine traffickers and their smuggling routes.
Defense Ministry officials have publicly suggested that aerial interdiction should be considered again. Most of the smuggling flights go to Brazil, a major consumer of cocaine as well as a jumping off point for drugs headed to Africa and Europe.
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