Jhonsson Pulpo allegedly directed Trujillo massacre from Bolivia

The arrest of Jhonsson Smit Cruz Torres, known as ‘Jhonsson Pulpo’, in Bolivia has provided new details regarding a violent kidnapping and massacre in Trujillo, Peru. An accomplice and former bodyguard, Gabriel Alexander Mendocilla Gómez, testified that Cruz Torres directed the criminal operations from La Paz.

Mendocilla claimed that Cruz Torres monitored the outcome of the attack on mining businessman Jenss Marty Lara Tantaquilla, which resulted in four deaths, and was primarily concerned with securing the ransom payment. In Trujillo, police discovered a residence in the San Isidro urbanisation containing a modified underground room used to hold the businessman captive.

Prosecutor William Rabanal Palacios described Cruz Torres as a ‘born criminal’ who orchestrated the most violent crimes in Trujillo. While the arrest is a significant blow to the ‘Los Pulpos’ criminal organization, Rabanal warned that the group is already attempting to restructure itself following the leader's capture.