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Capture and extradition of Los Pulpos leader

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-06 17:36 UTC → 2026-09-09 17:43 UTC · added removed

Jhonsson Smith Cruz Torres, known as ‘Jhonsson Pulpo’, the leader of the Peruvian criminal organization ‘Los Pulpos’, was captured in La Paz, Bolivia, following a coordinated operation involving the Peruvian National Police, Bolivian Police, the FBI, and the DEA. The arrest was the result of months of intelligence work. Cruz Torres, who reportedly used plastic surgery and false identities to evade capture, faces charges including homicide, kidnapping, and extortion. Following his arrest, Cruz Torres was expelled from Bolivia and transported to Lima via a Peruvian Air Force aircraft under heavy security. aircraft. He was accompanied by Alexander Saúl Mendocilla Gómez, also known as ‘Gordillo’. Cruz Torres is already serving a life sentence for a 2020 robbery and murder in Trujillo, having previously been sentenced in absentia by a court in 2022. Currently currently held at the Dircote headquarters in Lima for a 15-day preliminary detention period, he period. He is being investigated for several serious crimes, including the recent kidnapping and quadruple murder of businessman Jenss Lara Tantaquilla in Trujillo. Authorities are evaluating high-security facilities for his eventual transfer, such New testimony from an accomplice and former bodyguard, Gabriel Alexander Mendocilla Gómez, alleges that Cruz Torres directed criminal operations from La Paz. Mendocilla claimed that Cruz Torres monitored the outcome of the attack on Jenss Marty Lara Tantaquilla 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 Callao Naval Base or Challapalca prison. most violent crimes in Trujillo. While his capture the arrest is a significant blow to ‘Los Pulpos’, the Public Ministry has Rabanal warned that it may not end extortion activities in Trujillo. The organization remains active with significant financial resources, and experts warn it may attempt the group is already attempting to reorganize or face internal power struggles. restructure itself following the leader's capture.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-09 17:43 UTC Capture and extradition of Los Pulpos leader
  2. 2026-09-06 17:36 UTC Capture and extradition of Los Pulpos leader
  3. 2026-09-05 08:05 UTC Capture and extradition of Los Pulpos leader
  4. 2026-09-04 14:18 UTC Capture and extradition of Los Pulpos leader

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