Alto Huallaga: A Success Story

Abstract

This article analyzes the success of government intervention in the fight against drugs in the province of Tocache, located in the department of San Martín, during the period from 2003 to 2011, as well as in the so-called Alto Huallaga zone, which includes the Province of Tocache in San Martín, the Province of Leoncio Prado in Huánuco, the Province of Padre Abad in Ucayali and the districts of Cholón and Monzón in Huánuco. In 2013, the Government of Peru (GDP) established the Multisectoral Commission for the Pacification, Social Economic Development of the Huallaga Zone (CODEHUALLAGA), of which the author was technical secretary during the six years of operation. This analysis is based on this experience. The success of the GDP intervention in Alto Huallaga has been recognized by the National Commission for Development and Life without Drugs (DEVIDA), the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) and various media, according to the opinions of prominent personalities. During this period, the Upper Huallaga Valley has been remarkably successful. The state focus on eradication, coca crop substitution and development projects in the region have been fundamental to this transformation, as Vargas explained, with a significant reduction in the number of hectares of coca from 12,421 in 2011 to only 1,555 in 2014.