Peru court orders pre‑trial detention for nine members of 'Los Miserables de Trujillo' gang

A Peruvian court has ordered pre‑trial detention for nine alleged members of the criminal group known as “Los Miserables de Trujillo”. The suspects – Hipólito Torres, Luis Espejo, Alex Loyola, Lorenzo Chumioque, Paulo Vallejos, Brandon Soto, Alan Julca, Iván Inga and Elías Sicha – were arrested in May during an operation by the Regional Intelligence Office of Trujillo. Prosecutors allege involvement in extortion, illegal possession of weapons, ammunition and explosives, and organized illegal land invasions in the El Milagro settlement and the El Silencio area of Huanchaco district, La Libertad. The court sentenced seven of the defendants to 18 months of preventive imprisonment and two to 15 and 14 months respectively, while they remain held at the El Milagro penitentiary pending further investigation. Authorities say the group systematically occupies and controls land to profit from illegal sales, a growing problem in the La Libertad region.