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Lima Norte Raids Detain 15 in ‘Los Despiadados II’ Transport Extortion Case

Prosecutors say the case targets a scheme that drained interprovincial drivers through daily payments under threat.

Capturan a 15 presuntos integrantes de organización criminal que extorsionaba a buses interprovinciales en Puente Piedra
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Overview

  • The coordinated operation, carried out Saturday, led to the preliminary detention of 15 suspected members of the group known as Los Despiadados II.
  • Investigators led by prosecutor Elena Mayuri Bocanegra searched 22 properties and a prison cell in Juliaca, seizing phones, other electronics, and documents tied to the alleged crimes.
  • According to the prosecution, the network has extorted bus and colectivo drivers since mid-2023 by charging S/10 to S/20 per day and extra fees of up to S/2,000 for routes to Chancay, Huaral, Huacho, and Barranca.
  • Fiscal Jorge Chávez Cotrina estimates the scheme took in roughly S/1.8 million to S/2 million a year, and drivers who did not pay were blocked from working for days.
  • Authorities link the group to a July 2025 killing tied to control of a bus stop on the Panamericana Norte, and say alleged leader Lucio Moreno Jaque, known as Pirata, remains in pretrial detention as evidence is analyzed for further charges.