Jhonsson Cruz, leader of Peruvian gang Los Pulpos, captured in Bolivia
Bolivia detained Jhonsson Cruz, alias 'Jhonsson Pulpo', head of the Peruvian criminal organisation Los Pulpos. The fugitive faked his death in 2020 and underwent facial surgery to evade capture.
Bolivia detains leader of Los Pulpos after eight months on the run
Bolivia detained Jhonsson Cruz Torres, alias 'Jhonsson Pulpo', considered the principal leader of Los Pulpos, the Peruvian criminal gang identified as the most powerful in the country at present, according to holanews.com citing the EFE news agency. The capture ends a lengthy manhunt during which the fugitive went so far as to falsify his own death and altered his appearance through cosmetic surgery to evade the authorities.
Third generation of a criminal clan from Trujillo
The Peruvian police place Cruz Torres as the third generation of a criminal family originating from Trujillo. His grandfather, Teófilo Cruz Álvarez, died in prison in 2020 while serving a sentence for criminal organisation. His father, Jhon Cruz Arce, known as 'Jhon Pulpo', co-founded Los Pulpos in the early nineteen-nineties with his brothers, and in 2008 was sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder. That sentence concluded in 2025 following a habeas corpus order that mandated his release.
With his father imprisoned, Jhonsson began to assume control of the organisation at the age of 17, in 2014, with the backing of his uncles. From the district of El Porvenir, in Trujillo, the gang extended its operations to other areas of the city and abroad; one of his uncles, Eddy, established himself in Chile.
Kidnappings, mutilations and life sentence
At 30 years of age, Cruz Torres has accumulated an extensive criminal record: murders, extortions and kidnappings carried out principally in Trujillo. Among the victims attributed to the gang are businessmen Santos Guillermo Sánchez, Emilio Julca Huamán, Kristell Cotrina and Robert Quezada Crisólogo, among others.
Sánchez Vera was murdered whilst in captivity; his body, bearing signs of violence and severed fingers, was abandoned with the message "for not paying in full". Quezada Crisólogo had his fingers mutilated to demand a ransom of two million dollars.
A court in Trujillo sentenced Cruz Torres to life imprisonment for a robbery with murder of a merchant that occurred in March 2020. He faces additional charges of aggravated murder, contract killing, criminal organisation and aggravated kidnapping.
Fake death certificate and cosmetic surgery
In November 2020, during the height of the covid-19 pandemic, a death certificate was registered in the name of Cruz Torres. The manoeuvre allowed him to temporarily stay off the radar of the Peruvian authorities. From then on he operated under multiple false identities and directed the gang's activities from neighbouring countries, especially Chile and Bolivia.
His physical appearance changed notably compared with photographs from his earliest arrests, which points to an indeterminate number of cosmetic surgery procedures.
In August 2022 he was included on the list of Peru's most wanted criminals. In 2024, the reward for his capture increased from 75,000 soles (approximately 22,300 dollars) to 500,000 soles (approximately 148,000 dollars).
Failed attempt in January and final capture
In January of this year, a joint operation between the police forces of Bolivia, Chile and Peru attempted to detain 'Jhonsson Pulpo' on Bolivian territory. The operation resulted in the arrest of his partner, Keisy Salvatierra, 29 years old, who had an arrest warrant for kidnapping, but Cruz Torres managed to escape.
At that time, the general commander of the Peruvian National Police, Óscar Arriola, asserted that it was a matter of days before the fugitive's whereabouts would be found. However, the criminal evaded capture for a further eight months, until his detention this Tuesday.
Source: Google News BO — Crime