SECURITY · PERU
Key Facts
- —The country Peru, an Andean nation whose government has made cutting violent crime the first axis of its 2026-2031 general policy.
- —Why it matters The government now has a standing body of five ministers to oversee its fight against organised crime.
- —Why now Supreme Decree 141-2026-PCM, published on Wednesday 14 October, created the commission, known as Perú en Orden.
- —What happened The decree puts the prime minister in charge, with the interior, defence, justice and foreign ministers as members.
- —The numbers The commission must be installed within 10 working days. Its five members serve without pay and cannot send deputies.
- —What it means for you Visitors and companies face the same crime risks for now, since the body coordinates policy and does not run police operations.
- —Still open Which targets it will set, what budget it will request and whether it changes anything on the Amazon borders.
- —Power Index Peru ranks 5th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 54.7 points (October 2026 edition).
Peru’s government created a permanent security commission of five ministers on Wednesday 14 October to steer its fight against organised crime. The body, called Perú en Orden (Peru in Order), was set up by a supreme decree published in the official gazette.
It will sit in Lima under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Peru’s cabinet office. For foreign visitors and investors, it is the clearest sign yet of how President Keiko Fujimori plans to manage the crime crisis.
Fujimori, founder of the conservative Fuerza Popular party, signed the decree as head of state. The move comes as investigative outlet OjoPúblico details how armed groups fight over cocaine routes on Peru’s Amazon borders.
How the Security Commission Will Work
Supreme Decree 141-2026-PCM describes the security commission as a space for political coordination and follow-up, not an operational command. It must be formally installed within 10 working days of the decree’s publication, El Peruano reports.
Its main task is to supervise the first axis of the government’s 2026-2031 general policy. That axis aims to reduce violent crimes that harm citizens and economic activity.
The commission can issue alerts and recommendations to ministries and propose new rules to the Council of Ministers. It can also ask the Economy and Finance Ministry to prioritise money for security programmes.
It will monitor the work of the Unified Command against Organised Crime, but without directing its operations, Infobae reports. Its sessions will be held in private, in person or online.
Unlike many working groups that Peru’s executive creates for a fixed period, this one is permanent. A technical secretariat will track its agreements and gather information, Exitosa reports.
Who Sits on the Commission
Prime Minister Luis Galarreta, president of the Council of Ministers, chairs the commission. Interior Minister César Astudillo, who oversees the National Police, is a member.
Defence Minister Rafael Belaunde, Justice and Human Rights Minister Ernesto Álvarez and Foreign Minister Carlos Espá complete the group. Their participation cannot be delegated and is unpaid, according to the decree.
The ministers may call extended sessions with Congress, the judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Infobae reports that the banking regulator, the tax agency, the national intelligence directorate, business groups and civil society can also be invited.
Separately, the Senate’s Constitution Committee heard business groups and committee chairs on Tuesday 13 October as it drafts its final report on the government’s request for delegated law-making powers, Exitosa reported. Our earlier report Peru Senate Panel to Vote on Crime Powers explains that request.
Crime on the Amazon Triple Border
The decree does not name a region, but OjoPúblico’s reporting this week shows the scale of the challenge far from Lima. On Sunday 11 October it mapped a criminal dispute over drug routes where Peru, Colombia and Brazil meet.
According to OjoPúblico, Brazil’s Comando Vermelho gang has consolidated control there and uses Colombians to coordinate cocaine paste production on Peruvian soil. The outlet estimates that Mariscal Ramón Castilla province alone produces about 80 tonnes of cocaine a year.
Seizures there reached only 192 kilos last year, under 1% of that estimate, OjoPúblico reports. It says the cocaine moves on to Brazil, Europe and West Africa.
On Monday 12 October the outlet reported that the Comandos de la Frontera, a dissident group of the former FARC guerrillas, control routes along the Putumayo River. Only 13% of 1,420 drug-trafficking investigations in Loreto since 2020 ended in a sentence, it found.
The Unified Command’s early work is covered in Peru Unified Command Reports 2 Killed in First 3 Days. A broader guide to the players is Peru Politics Explained, Who Holds Power in 2026.
What It Means for You
For US travellers, nothing changes on the street yet, because the commission coordinates policy and leaves operations to the police and armed forces. Visitors should keep following official travel advice, especially for remote border areas of Loreto.
For investors, the decree ties the crime fight to the cabinet office and the budget process, which could speed up funding decisions. The risk is that a new layer of coordination adds meetings without cutting extortion or killings.
For Washington, drug routes through the Amazon triple border feed markets in Brazil and Europe and fund armed groups near Colombia. The foreign minister’s seat on the commission could matter for cross-border work, though no joint plan has been announced.
Peru’s place in the region is set out in Peru Geopolitics Explained 2026. Readers based in the capital can use our Lima city page.
What Is Not Known
The decree sets no numeric crime targets in the published summaries, and the indicators will be agreed later with each ministry. It is also unclear how much money the commission will ask the Economy Ministry to prioritise.
It is not known whether the body will order any new measures for Loreto and the Putumayo border. OjoPúblico’s production and seizure figures are the outlet’s own estimates and have not been confirmed by Peruvian authorities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Peru’s new security commission?
It is a permanent body of five ministers, called Perú en Orden, created by Supreme Decree 141-2026-PCM on 14 October. It coordinates and supervises the government’s fight against organised crime.
Who leads the commission?
Prime Minister Luis Galarreta chairs it as president of the Council of Ministers. The interior, defence, justice and foreign ministers are the other members.
Will the commission run police operations?
No, it monitors the Unified Command against Organised Crime without directing its operations. Operations stay with the National Police and the armed forces.
When does the commission start work?
It must be installed within 10 working days of the decree’s publication on 14 October. Its sessions will be private.
Why is the Amazon triple border relevant?
OjoPúblico reports that armed groups fight over cocaine routes where Peru, Colombia and Brazil meet. It estimates that one province there produces about 80 tonnes of cocaine a year.
Sources: El Peruano · Infobae Perú · Exitosa · Exitosa, 13 October · OjoPúblico, 11 October · OjoPúblico, 12 October
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error