Bolivia captures leader of Los Pulpos, band linked to kidnapping and four homicides in Peru
Bolivia's police detained Jhonsson Smit Cruz Torres in La Paz, the top leader of the Peruvian criminal gang Los Pulpos, sought for kidnapping and homicide.
Bolivia captures leader of Los Pulpos, organisation linked to kidnapping and four homicides in Peru
Bolivia's police detained Jhonsson Smit Cruz Torres in La Paz, known as 'Jhonsson Pulpo' and identified as the current top leader of the Peruvian criminal organisation Los Pulpos, reported mvsnoticias.com. The network is attributed with the kidnapping of a businessman and the killing of his four companions, committed on Sunday in Trujillo, in northern Peru.
Cruz Torres is the son of Jhon Cruz Arce, alias 'Jhon Pulpo', one of the group's founders. He was on Peru's list of most-wanted criminals, and Peruvian authorities were offering a reward of 500,000 soles — approximately 148,000 dollars — for information leading to his whereabouts.
The gang leader was subject to an international arrest warrant for crimes including contract killing, aggravated homicide, aggravated robbery followed by death, aggravated kidnapping and illicit association to commit crimes.
Along with Cruz Torres, Gabriel Alexander Saúl M.G., aged 23, was detained, identified as another alleged member of the gang. The operation resulted from coordinated intelligence work initiated in January, with the participation of the police forces of Bolivia and Peru, backed by the delegation of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) based in Lima.
During the arrests, fake Peruvian passports and Bolivian identity documents with different identities were seized, which are now part of ongoing investigations.
At a press conference, the national commander of the Bolivian police, Colonel Adrián Álvarez, described Cruz Torres as a high-value regional target, due to his history of violence in Peru and the criminal expansion of the organisation towards Chile and Argentina, as well as plans for incursion detected in Bolivian territory.
Peru's interior minister, César Astudillo, confirmed that the detainee was in La Paz and stated that details of his transfer would be kept under strict confidentiality for security reasons. The Bolivian police command reported, according to EFE, that Cruz Torres would be deported that same Tuesday to be formally handed over to the Peruvian judicial authorities.
Source: Google News BO — Crime