:

Items About Areas That Could Break Out Into War

March 4, 2006: Coca production in Peru and Bolivia increased during 2005, with production in Peru up 38 percent over 2004. Peru is now the world's second largest coca producer.

The Peruvian government believes that cocaine cartels have armed "old line" guerrilla groups and supplied then with new weapons and equipment. The upgraded guerillas then provide security for the drug operations.

Meanwhile, Peruvian security forces have been conducting operations against the Shining Path's "Proseguir" faction. The government believes that the Maoist guerilla organization now works with narcotics trafficking gangs. The Peruvian police killed a senior Shining Path commander, Hector Aponte, on February 19. The firefight took place in the in the Huallaga Valley. Aponte is believed to have been involved in the attacks, last December, which killed eight Peruvian policemen (near the town of Aucayuca).