ARGENTINA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- The country Argentina, South America’s second-largest country with about 46 million people, is governed by President Javier Milei.
- What happened On Monday, 12 October, police in Peru arrested Luis Alan Valverde Rodríguez, 40, a Peruvian wanted in Argentina on a charge of aggravated homicide.
- The victims Brenda del Castillo and Morena Verdi, both 20, and Lara Gutiérrez, 15, vanished on 19 September 2025.
- His alleged role Argentine investigators accuse the man, known as “Papá”, of helping lead the drug gang’s local cell; he is presumed innocent.
- How he was found He was living near Lima under the identity of another Peruvian citizen when an Interpol alert led police to him.
- Still open Argentina is starting extradition proceedings, and no date has been announced for a court hearing in Peru.
- Power Index Argentina ranks 4th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 61.2 points (October 2026 edition).
Police in Peru have arrested a man wanted over the Argentine murders of three young women, which investigators link to a Peruvian-led drug gang. For readers in the United States, the case shows how such gangs move people and false identities across South American borders.
Luis Alan Valverde Rodríguez, 40, alias “Papá” (Spanish for “Dad”), was detained on Monday, 12 October, on the eastern edge of Lima. Argentina’s Security Ministry announced the arrest on Tuesday, and the government now plans to seek his extradition.
How Police in Peru Found the Wanted Man
Argentina’s Security Ministry says federal investigators believed Valverde Rodríguez had fled to Peru and was hiding in a town outside Lima. They alerted Interpol’s office in Peru, whose checks showed he was using the identity of another Peruvian citizen.
Officers from the international cooperation unit of Argentina’s Federal Police, the national police force, worked with the National Police of Peru on the arrest. He was detained near a bank branch on Avenida Las Torres in Huachipa, the ministry said.
Infobae and La Nación, two major Argentine news outlets, say he carried the papers of a real person registered in Peru. Investigators believe the fake identity shows he knew he was a wanted man.
He was wanted under an Interpol Red Notice, an international alert asking police worldwide to find and hold a suspect pending extradition. A federal court in Morón, a city in Greater Buenos Aires, asked for the notice on a charge of aggravated homicide.
The Murders That Shocked Argentina
Brenda del Castillo and Morena Verdi, both 20, and Lara Gutiérrez, 15, vanished on 19 September 2025 after being told of a party. Their bodies were later found buried at a house in Florencio Varela, a working-class district on the southern edge of Greater Buenos Aires.
The main theory of investigators links the killings to cocaine the gang believed had been stolen from its members. Infobae and the Buenos Aires Herald, an English-language news site, report that the killings were allegedly streamed live to other gang members.
The case later moved to a federal court in Morón, led by Judge Jorge Rodríguez. La Nación had listed Valverde Rodríguez among the case’s fugitives, and other suspects remain at large.
The killings came in the same weeks of 2025 as allegations of drug money against a Milei ally shook the Buenos Aires election campaign. Argentine media call the case a triple femicide, the legal term for killing women because of their gender.
What Argentina Accuses Him Of
Argentine investigators regard Valverde Rodríguez as an alleged top leader of the gang’s local structure, Infobae reports, citing the federal court. He allegedly handled logistics for the group, including buying drugs, collecting money and supplying tools.
He is the uncle of Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, known as “Pequeño J”, the main suspect in the Argentine murders. The nephew was charged in June 2026 as an alleged co-perpetrator, denies any role and could face life in prison if convicted.
Both men are presumed innocent until a court rules otherwise. Valverde Rodríguez has not yet appeared before a judge in Argentina, where he faces a charge of aggravated homicide.
Extradition From Peru Comes Next
Valverde Rodríguez is now at the disposal of Peru’s judicial authorities while the extradition process begins, the Security Ministry said. Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva wrote on X that Argentina will start the process to bring him to face its courts, Infobae Perú reports.
Peru has already handed over one suspect in this case. It approved the extradition of Pequeño J in late January 2026, and he was flown to Argentina in early May.
That precedent suggests extradition in the Argentine murders case can take several months, even with close cooperation. Once in Argentina, Valverde Rodríguez would face Judge Rodríguez in Morón, who leads the federal investigation.
What It Means for You
For travellers, the arrest does not point to new risks in the tourist areas of Lima or Buenos Aires. Investigators link the Argentine murders to a drug gang’s dispute over cocaine, not to random street crime.
For readers who follow organised crime, the case shows Interpol alerts closing in on suspects who cross borders under false names. Argentina, Peru and the United States all belong to Interpol, which shares wanted notices among police forces worldwide.
What Is Not Known
No date has been announced for a court hearing in Peru on the extradition request. It is also unclear whether Valverde Rodríguez will fight his transfer, which could lengthen the process.
Officials have not said how long the suspect in the Argentine murders lived in Peru under a false name. Neither government has mentioned any role for US agencies in the search.
More: Argentina news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the man arrested in Peru?
Luis Alan Valverde Rodríguez is a 40-year-old Peruvian known as “Papá”, wanted in Argentina on a charge of aggravated homicide. Argentine investigators accuse him of helping lead the drug gang behind the Argentine murders, and he is presumed innocent.
What happened to the three young women?
Brenda del Castillo, Morena Verdi and Lara Gutiérrez vanished on 19 September 2025 and were found buried in Florencio Varela, near Buenos Aires. Investigators’ main theory links the killings to cocaine a drug gang believed had been stolen from it.
Will Peru send him to Argentina?
Argentina is starting extradition proceedings, and he remains at the disposal of Peruvian judicial authorities meanwhile. Peru approved a similar request for his nephew in January 2026, and that handover came in May.
Is there a link to the United States?
Neither government has mentioned a US role in the arrest. The case still matters to US readers because it shows how South American drug gangs cross borders and how Interpol alerts track them down.
Sources: Ministerio de Seguridad Nacional (Argentina), 13 October 2026; Infobae, 13 October 2026; La Nación, 12 October 2026; Infobae Perú, 13 October 2026; El Tribuno, 13 October 2026; Infobae, 19 September 2026; Infobae, 1 May 2026; Buenos Aires Herald, 5 May 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief