PERU · CRIME
Key Facts
- —The country Peru is an Andean nation on South America’s Pacific coast and a major gold and copper exporter.
- —What happened Prime Minister Luis Galarreta announced a high-level committee to speed up access to information in extortion and illegal mining investigations.
- —Who joins The panel will work with Peru’s Financial Intelligence Unit, the telecom regulator Osiptel and the Peruvian Banking Association, among others.
- —Target crimes Extortion and illegal mining, according to the cabinet office.
- —When The cabinet office published Galarreta’s announcement at 11:13 p.m. Lima time on Monday 12 October.
- —Still open No decree, member list, start date or budget for the committee has been published.
Peru will form a committee with its banks’ association and telecom regulator to fight extortion, Prime Minister Luis Galarreta said on Monday. The aim, his office said, is faster access to information in extortion and illegal mining cases.
Extortion gangs, including alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, a US-listed terrorist group, prey on transport workers and traders. For Americans visiting or investing in Peru, the move targets crime, which the US State Department calls common there.
What Galarreta Announced
Galarreta heads the Council of Ministers, Peru’s cabinet, under President Keiko Fujimori, and is also first vice president. He spoke alongside Interior Minister César Astudillo and police chief General Fredy López, according to the cabinet office’s statement.
He announced a high-level committee that will work with several public and private bodies. It is meant to ease access to information in cases of extortion and illegal mining, the statement said.
Three partners are named. The Financial Intelligence Unit tracks suspicious money, Osiptel regulates phone companies, and the Peruvian Banking Association, Asbanc, represents private banks.
Galarreta said better intelligence and coordination between institutions should overcome the problems that slow investigations down. The statement did not explain how data will be shared or what legal safeguards apply.
Why Phones and Bank Data Matter
In the northern city of Piura, victims reported threats and demands for money to keep trading, the Interior Ministry said. Peruvians call such payments cupos.
In two raids announced on 10 October, officers seized five phones, bank cards and a QR code for the payment app Yape. The ministry said the seven people detained were alleged members of Tren de Aragua.
Lima broadcaster RPP also reported the Piura arrests. The US State Department designated Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, a foreign terrorist organisation in February 2025.
Faster access to phone records and bank transfers could let detectives follow the money from victim to gang.
A Crackdown Under a Unified Command
The committee is the latest step in a wider push. On 7 October, President Fujimori announced a Unified Command that joins the armed forces and the national police against organised crime.
She presented a combined force of 1,350 soldiers and police officers. Our earlier report on the command’s first results covered its opening days.
Fujimori also announced a special commission against crime that day. It was to draw on the Financial Intelligence Unit, the national intelligence service, Osiptel and phone companies.
Monday’s statement adds the banks’ association to that list. It did not say whether the new committee replaces or works inside the earlier commission.
Astudillo said on Monday that the command carries out operations every day. “We will keep working until the crime curve begins to fall,” he said, according to the cabinet statement.
Arrests Presented on Monday
Officials also showed results of recent raids. In one, police searched 10 Lima homes and held 11 suspected members of the gang Los Injertos del Rímac Nueva Generación.
That is the cabinet office’s figure. The Public Ministry, Peru’s prosecution service, put the number of detainees at 12, as we reported on Monday.
In the southern city of Ica, homicide detectives caught two alleged members of a gang called Los Malditos de Carabayllo. They are investigated over the 10 February 2025 killings of a businessman and of former congressman Óscar Medelius in Carabayllo, northern Lima.
What It Means for You
The gangs described on Monday target transport workers, traders and business owners. The US State Department rates Peru at Level 2, exercise increased caution, and says crime is common there.
Illegal mining also has a US link. Infobae, citing the TV programme Panorama, said US Fish and Wildlife Service agents accompanied police raids on an alleged illegal gold ring.
Tighter tracing of payments could make it harder to launder money from illegal gold. Peruvian banks may also face more data requests from investigators.
What Is Not Known
The government has not named the committee’s members, its legal basis or when it will start work. Nor has it said how the committee fits with the commission announced on 7 October.
The cabinet statement did not mention a decree in El Peruano, the official gazette.
It is also unclear whether phone companies and banks will share data only with a court order.
More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Peru announce on 12 October?
Prime Minister Luis Galarreta announced a high-level committee to speed up extortion and illegal mining investigations. It is meant to give investigators faster access to information.
Who is on Peru’s new anti-extortion committee?
The government named the Financial Intelligence Unit, telecom regulator Osiptel and the Peruvian Banking Association, among other public and private bodies. A full member list has not been published.
Is it safe for Americans to travel to Peru?
The US State Department rates Peru at Level 2, exercise increased caution, and says crime is common. The gangs described on 12 October target transport workers, traders and business owners.
What is Peru’s Unified Command?
President Keiko Fujimori announced it on 7 October. It joins the armed forces and police against organised crime, with a combined force of 1,350 personnel.
Sources: Presidencia del Consejo de Ministros: Premier Galarreta: Policía y Comando Unificado ejecutan doble ofensiva del Estado contra el crimen organizado, 12 October 2026; Ministerio Público: Fiscalía logra desarticular red criminal Los Injertos del Rímac Nueva Generación, 12 October 2026; Presidencia de la República / Mininter: Presidenta Fujimori anuncia creación de Comando Unificado, 7 October 2026; Mininter: Inteligencia y PNP capturan a siete presuntos integrantes del Tren de Aragua por extorsión en Piura, 10 October 2026; US Department of State: Foreign Terrorist Organizations (Tren de Aragua, designated 20 February 2025), accessed 13 October 2026; US Department of State: Peru Travel Advisory (Level 2), accessed 13 October 2026; Gestión: PCM anuncia comité multisectorial para reforzar la lucha contra la criminalidad, 12 October 2026; RPP: Piura, detienen a siete presuntos integrantes del Tren de Aragua por extorsionar a comerciantes, 12 October 2026; Infobae Perú: Agentes de EE.UU. en operativo contra la minería ilegal, 12 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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