Peruvian police say they have arrested a suspected drug kingpin known for trafficking large quantities of cocaine into North America and Europe, and who faces extradition to the United States.
The 42-year-old suspect, known under the name Brucelee Bermudo, was arrested in Chiriaco, a small city in Peru’s northern jungle region, officials announced Tuesday.
Bermudo “headed a criminal network that exported large quantities of cocaine hydrochloride to Europe and the United States,” Peru’s Anti-Drug Directorate said in a statement.
He was picked up during an international surveillance operation involving Peruvian and US authorities.
Bermudo was transferred to the capital Lima and being held there under an arrest warrant, pending his extradition to the US, officials said. However, it was unclear when he would be extradited.
Bermudo’s drug-trafficking gang consisted of Mexican, Venezuelan and Guatemalan citizens, operating from the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro River Valley (VRAEM) in Peru, officials said.
Peru is the world’s second-largest producer of cocaine after Colombia, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
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