Peruvian gang Los Lechuceros implicated in victim disposal plan

Peruvian prosecutors presented intercepted telephone conversations showing members of the criminal organization Los Lechuceros del Centro discussing how to hide a victim’s body after a robbery. The recordings feature Julio César Manrique Maraví, alias “Huaype,” and Renán Alcides Santos Ñaña, alias “Chupete,” planning to dump the corpse in a river or bury it on a hill while trying to avoid surveillance cameras.

The case centers on the death of Luis Pablo García Hidalgo, who was allegedly seized after leaving a nightclub, drugged, robbed and later died from a lung contusion and internal bleeding. Forensic findings linked the injuries to blows allegedly inflicted by “Huaype.” The court ordered 30 months of pre‑trial detention for 12 suspects, including the two identified members, and issued an arrest warrant for the fugitive “Huaype.” The investigation highlights the gang’s methodical approach to covering up the homicide and the judicial response to the organized‑crime network in the Chupaca area of Peru.