Emergence of coca cultivation in Paraíso
In 1978, coca cultivation appeared in Paraíso, a community colonized between 1969 and 1973. Two years later, in 1980, it became a drug trafficking center that transformed the rural spot into a bustling town.
Paraíso was colonized between 1969 and 1973, first by a group of Piuranos and then by families of Ancashinos affected by the Yungay earthquake. Most of the initial settlers decided to leave, leaving only 20% of the original group. It was not until 1978 that coca cultivation appeared in the area. Only two years later, in 1980, Paraíso became a drug trafficking center. The unexpected burst of the boom in 1980 had transformed a purely rural area into a bustling and affluent town, attracting people not only from all parts of the country but also from Mexico, Bolivia and Brazil, with the bulk of the foreign colony being Colombians.