Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Court Upholds Long Prison Terms in Peru’s Nicolini Slave Labor Case

Prosecutors say the second-instance ruling marks Peru’s first confirmed conviction for labor slavery.

Overview

  • The Lima specialized anti-trafficking prosecutor’s office reported that a second-instance court confirmed effective prison terms for those convicted in the Nicolini case.
  • Jonny Coico Sirlopu and Vilma Zeña Santamaría were found guilty of aggravated human trafficking for labor exploitation and slavery, receiving initial 2018 sentences of 35 and 32 years.
  • The judiciary upheld Zeña’s 32-year term in December 2025, and the new confirmation ratifies the multi-decade penalties and closes remaining avenues of appeal.
  • The ruling bars the convicts from contracting with the state and orders civil reparations of S/20,000 to each of the three survivors and S/479,000 and S/459,000 to the heirs of the two deceased victims.
  • Investigators found the victims were locked in a fifth-floor container without ventilation, lighting, food, or sanitation, paid S/25 per day to assemble luminaires, and two died in the 2017 fire.