Marco Rubio wraps South America tour with Peru anti-drug pact

Marco Rubio met President Keiko Fujimori in Lima as Peru joined a US-backed anti-cartel coalition. The visit sharpened focus on drugs, migration and competing influence in Latin America.

In Short

• Peru agreed closer security coordination targeting cartels, smuggling networks and irregular migration
• Washington backed joint military operations after recent narcotics vessel interceptions at sea
• Lima expanded emergency measures as extortion and violent crime surged sharply

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday wrapped up a three-nation South America tour focused on countries led by conservative governments, as President Donald Trump's administration steps up efforts on counternarcotics and immigration across the Western Hemisphere.

In Peru, Rubio met newly elected President Keiko Fujimori after visiting the Trump-aligned leaders of Colombia and Ecuador. The visit centred on cooperation against drug trafficking and illegal migration, with Peru announcing that it has joined the "Shield of the Americas" coalition for joint military operations against drug cartels.

Trump and Rubio have particularly prioritised pushing countries in the region to take a tougher line on what they describe as "narcoterrorism", including military strikes on alleged drug traffickers. From unilateral US actions against suspected drug boats in international waters in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean to joint operations mainly with Ecuador in its territorial waters, US forces have three times this week stopped and taken out vessels they say were carrying narcotics. Colombia has also recently joined the Shield of the Americas group under new President Abelardo de la Espriella.

Like her counterparts in Colombia and Ecuador, Fujimori has made the fight against crime in Peru a priority, especially extortion and murder. Official data showed extortion cases rose from 2,421 in 2019 to 26,734 in 2025. At the end of August, Peru declared a 60-day state of emergency in Lima and the port of Callao because of rising crime and set up a committee of officials to coordinate the police. It also declared a state of emergency in five prisons in a bid to control access and prevent escapes.

Before the Rubio-Fujimori meeting, Peruvian Foreign Minister Carlos Esp said they hoped to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties, especially in "security and defence and the fight against transnational organised crime, which is so damaging to our country". Peru is one of the world's leading cocaine producers, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says it is the world's second-largest cultivator of coca leaf, the raw material for cocaine, after Colombia.

The Trump administration has kept its focus on the Western Hemisphere even as it has launched a war against Iran. Trump has repeatedly spoken about reviving the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, asserting US primacy in the Americas with a focus on drugs, migration and countering China's growing influence in the region. On Tuesday, China's embassy in Peru said that the "Western Hemisphere is nobody's backyard," in a statement issued on the eve of Rubio's visit. It said Latin American countries have the "sovereign right to freely choose their partners" and expressed willingness to work with Peru and other countries in the region.

Peru has a long history of left-wing insurgencies and still has a sizeable number of people who are sympathetic to such causes. As Rubio arrived in Lima late on Wednesday, hundreds of people protested in the city, chanting "Yankees out of Peru". Members of the Communist Party waved red flags and held up a banner with Rubio's face. "Marco Rubio arrived in Peru today, and what he wants is for Peru to be his colony," Carmen Espinoza told The Associated Press. "That's why we're here protesting, rejecting the visit of an enemy of Peru." The demonstration was peaceful and was monitored by police officers seeking to prevent disturbances. Another protester, Soledad Lozano, said Peru "is not the backyard of any country in the world" and argued that Peruvians should decide "with whom we ally ourselves and what agreements we make".

Rubio's visit to Peru closed a regional tour aimed at building support for tougher action against drug trafficking and illegal migration, while also underlining wider geopolitical tensions over US influence in Latin America.

With PTI Inputs

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