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Peru Extortion Reports Hit Record High as New Police Unit Pledges Offensive Push

Convictions remain scarce, with just 11 sentences through July, reflecting a system stalled by a mounting forensic backlog.

Overview

  • Official data record 23,213 extortion complaints from January to October 2025, surpassing all of 2024 and averaging roughly one report every 19 minutes.
  • Lima registered 9,750 complaints and La Libertad 3,789, with prolonged emergency declarations continuing in Trujillo and Pataz since 2023.
  • The government created the National Police’s Extortion Investigation Division led by Col. Víctor Revoredo, who vowed to shift operations from defense to offense.
  • President José Jerí announced an updated state of emergency with complementary measures as part of the response to rising extortion.
  • INPE reports only 11 extortion sentences between January and July 2025 and a large share of detainees without final convictions, while prosecutors cite hundreds of seized devices awaiting forensic analysis.