Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro
| Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro | |
|---|---|
| VRAEM | |
Overlooking the VRAEM | |
| Naming | |
English translation | Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers |
| Geography | |
| Country | Peru |
| Coordinates | 11°42′S 74°00′W / 11.7°S 74°W |
| Location | |
![]() Interactive map of Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro | |



The Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro (lit. 'Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers'), also known as the VRAEM, is a geopolitical area in Peru, located in portions of the departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin.[1][2] It is one of the major areas of coca production in Peru.[3] It is also the center of operation of the far-left guerrilla group Shining Path.
The area is extremely poor.[3] The VRAEM is an area of such high childhood malnutrition and poverty that the government of Peru selected the VRAEM to launch its National Strategy for Growth program in 2007.[4]
Cocaine production
[edit]In 2010, Peru overtook Colombia as the world's largest cocaine-producing country, although Colombia still led in total hectares of coca grown.[5][6] With local incomes below $10/day, the valleys are used to produce raw paste product, and much of the drug trade is controlled by the Shining Path.[6][7] With an estimated 19,700 hectares (49,000 acres) of production area in 2010, it was the world's densest area of cocaine production.[1][7] Paste product is shipped out of the valleys by armed native backpackers to Cuzco,[3][6] and then onward shipped to either: the Pacific Ocean ports; the Bolivian border, where it is sold to one of the drug cartels; or to mule-traffickers who ship the product onwards via scheduled air transport to Europe and North America.[6][7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Slaves of the past". The Economist. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ↑ "Peru Travel Advisory". travel.state.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- 1 2 3 Pressly, Linda (24 November 2015). "The Mochileros". BBC News. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ↑ "Crecer ya está en el VRAE". Comisión Interministerial de Asuntos Sociales. 21 December 2007. Retrieved 14 November 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ How Peru Beat Colombia to Be World’s Biggest Cocaine Producer InsightCrime
- 1 2 3 4 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - 1 2 3 Collyns, Dan (23 June 2011). "Peru's challenge to tackle cocaine trade". BBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
