Overview
- Peruvian authorities say Jhonsson Smit Cruz Torres was captured in La Paz and returned to Peru on Tuesday after a coordinated operation that involved police from Peru, Bolivia and Chile with FBI support.
- After arrival in Lima he was processed by DIRCOTE and GRECCO units and moved under heavy escort in the SUAT armored vehicle known as “La Bestia” while forensic and judicial procedures were completed.
- The Poder Judicial ordered 36 months of prisión preventiva, and Defense officials confirmed he will be housed at the Base Naval del Callao in cells held under a maximum‑security regime.
- Cruz Torres already carries a life sentence from a 2020 case and now faces separate investigations for qualified homicide, sicariato, organization criminal and alleged direction of the Aug. 30 kidnapping of miner Jenss Lara in which four people died.
- Ministers, the PNP and the Public Ministry say they will continue coordinated domestic and international evidence‑gathering and custody measures to protect the inquiry, potential witnesses and the wider public safety response.