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Peru Tightens Prison Controls With Permanent Raids After Seizures in Arequipa and Challapalca

The new decree centralizes authority to cut off illicit communications that enable extortion from behind bars.

Overview

  • INPE reported detaining teacher Rubén Víctor Reynoso Gonzales at the Arequipa men’s prison after officers found 55 cellphone SIM chips hidden in a wristwatch during a body search.
  • An intelligence-led sweep at Challapalca uncovered routers, Wi‑Fi repeaters, cables and two phones concealed behind a toilet wall in cell 11, with the area secured and evidence turned over to prosecutors and police.
  • INPE president Iván Paredes Yataco said inmates tied to the Challapalca cache will be moved to Cochamarca as a disciplinary and security measure.
  • The executive issued Supreme Decree No. 127-2025-PCM ordering permanent, coordinated operations with INPE, the National Police and the Armed Forces, plus personnel rotation, immediate inmate transfers and MTC-led verification of signal blockers.
  • As part of the broader crackdown, INPE reported transferring 252 high-risk prisoners to maximum-security facilities including Challapalca, Cochamarca, Ancón 1 and Ancón 2, alongside a ramp-up in nationwide searches.