Bolivia extradites Jhonsson Pulpo to Peru, top leader of Los Pulpos gang
Bolivia's police captured Jhonsson Cruz Torres, head of the criminal organisation Los Pulpos, in La Paz and handed him over to Peru. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Arrest and handover in Desaguadero of Los Pulpos leader after years of search
Bolivia's police detained Jhonsson Cruz Torres, 29, nicknamed "Jhonsson Pulpo", in La Paz on Tuesday and handed him over to Peruvian authorities within hours. The transfer took place in Desaguadero, the border town on the shores of Lake Titicaca that serves as the main land crossing between the two countries. The Peruvian government announced this through its social networks, according to diario.elmundo.sv.
Cruz Torres is identified as the principal leader of Los Pulpos, Peru's largest criminal organisation, which operates out of Trujillo, a coastal city located some 570 kilometres north of Lima. An international arrest warrant was issued against him, backed by a life sentence handed down for a robbery in which a businessman was killed, as well as for multiple kidnappings and murders committed in that same city.
Joint operation with FBI and DEA
The arrest resulted from intelligence work coordinated between the police forces of Bolivia and Peru, with the participation of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), both United States agencies with representation in Lima. The search had extended over several years.
In an initial stage, investigators suspected that Cruz Torres had taken refuge in Chile alongside members of his family clan. The lead subsequently shifted to Bolivia, where Keysi Salvatierra, the fugitive's partner, was detained earlier this year. She also faced an international arrest warrant in connection with a kidnapping case.
A second individual was arrested alongside Jhonsson Pulpo, identified as Gabriel Alexander Saúl M.G., 23, a suspected member of the organisation who was accompanying and assisting him at the time of capture.
Cosmetic surgery and false identities to evade justice
To evade investigators, Cruz Torres faked his own death in 2020, during the height of the covid-19 pandemic. According to the authorities, he had also undergone several cosmetic surgeries to alter his appearance and used multiple false identities throughout his years in hiding.
Peru's Interior Ministry stated, before his transfer, that the detainee would be taken to Lima for the corresponding legal proceedings and handed over to Peruvian justice. The authorities have not yet specified which prison he will be held in, though the high-security prison at Challapalca, situated at 4,850 metres altitude, is being considered.
Third generation of a criminal clan
The history of Challapalca is intertwined with the family saga of Los Pulpos: Jhonsson's father, Jhon Cruz Arce, also known as "Jhon Pulpo", served a twenty-five-year sentence there and was released last year. Despite his young age, Jhonsson represents the third generation of this clan and is credited with expanding the organisation beyond Trujillo.
Los Pulpos is linked to one of the most violent episodes of organised crime recorded this year in Peru. Mining businessman Jenss Lara, 31, was kidnapped in the early hours of a Sunday in Trujillo; the four companions who were travelling with him in the same vehicle were killed on the spot. The kidnappers posed as officers from a Peruvian organised crime unit. Lara was released the following day; Peruvian authorities did not confirm whether the family paid part of the ransom, although this was implied.
Source: Google News BO — Crime