Operation in Lima and Pataz dismantles "Los Parqueros del Jota" gang: 12 arrested
The Peruvian National Police captured twelve members of a criminal network engaged in illegal gold mining in La Libertad. The operation raided 23 properties and seized cash, ammunition and mobile phones.
Twelve arrested following simultaneous operation against illegal mining network in La Libertad and Lima
The Peruvian National Police dismantled the criminal gang called "Los Parqueros del Jota" through a simultaneous intervention carried out in various provinces of the La Libertad region and in the capital, according to a report by exitosanoticias.pe. The action resulted in the capture of twelve people linked to the illicit extraction of gold and other related offences.
The operation, dubbed Plan Explosión 2026, mobilised more than 240 officers from the Division of Investigation into High-Complexity Offences. The law enforcement forces raided 23 properties with the backing of an order from the Transitional Mixed Court of Parcoy, which authorised the preliminary detentions and arrests in flagrante delicto.
During the searches, agents identified routes used by gold mafias and confiscated mobile phones, ten thousand dollars in cash, control notebooks and ammunition.
According to the authorities, the network was responsible for transporting weapons and explosive material from Trujillo to Pataz. This material was used to knock down high-tension towers and cause electricity cuts that facilitated illicit gold extraction operations in the area.
The twelve detainees were identified as Domingo Romero, Rogelio Jaime, Walter Campos, Walter Flores, Jeremiah Morillo, Milton Niquin, Eliceo Robles, Nildo Mallqui, Segundo Bautista, Jesús Carhuaricra, Edwar Ruiz and Jahaira Mallqui. All will face judicial proceedings for activities recorded in Pataz, Sánchez Carrión, Chepén, Trujillo and Lima.
The Specialised Prosecution Office Against Organised Crime in La Libertad will continue with the analysis of the seized equipment to determine the full extent of the network and locate other possible parties involved in the illegal supply chain.
The organisation also used practices of special gravity against the vulnerable population. Minors were forced to enter deep mine shafts under physical threats from armed individuals who guarded the clandestine deposits.
To face rival gangs and intimidate workers, members of the network resorted to the use of firearms of various calibres.
The extracted gold was transported in trucks bound for Trujillo, evading police controls through drivers registered in the Comprehensive Mining Formalisation Register and fraudulent transit permits, a recurring practice in the black market in the northern part of the country.
Source: Google News PE — Lima