Peruvian President Ollanta Humala declared a state of emergency for the coastal province of El Callao on Friday due to the unprecedented levels of violence carried out by criminal gangs and drug trafficking organizations.

"I have decided that from this point forward, that there will be a state of emergency in El Callao in order to combat criminality and to restore internal order,” President Humala stated.

The province of El Callao is located 15 kilometers from the capital Lima and is home to the country’s largest shipping port.

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The Observatory of Criminality of El Callao, a criminal watchdog organization, which monitors violence throughout the province, found that 161 homicides had occurred in the province between January and September 2015. According to the report, the primary factors causing the violence are tied to drug trafficking and revenge killings between criminal gangs.

During his address, President Humala noted that the state of emergency will be applied for up to 45 days with the “aim of strengthening the national police force in efforts to ensure citizen safety.”

The country’s Minister of Interior Jose Perez also confirmed that the measure will allow police units to conduct raids on homes “suspected of carrying out criminal activities.”

"This is an exceptional situation, given the circumstances in Callao. One of the key reasons is because of organized crimes with ties to narcotrafficking,” Perez stated.