Overview
- Spanish National Police captured 52-year-old Julio Alexander Bernales in Villa de Vallecas on February 17 after a months-long fugitive hunt launched in August at Peru’s request.
- Investigators say he had intentionally removed his fingerprints and lived under a stolen identity to evade detection, and he now uses a wheelchair due to past injuries.
- An active Interpol international arrest order cites possession of explosives, and authorities identify him as a senior figure linked to the Peruvian gang Los Terribles del 17.
- Records show he took part in a 2012 escape from the Challapalca maximum-security prison and was intercepted in October 2024 in Peru with an explosive device and 9mm ammunition.
- Spanish authorities are processing his detention as Peruvian and European officials coordinate the legal steps and timing for extradition in the coming days.