Peru Goes Into Emergency Mode After the Trujillo Massacre — Soldiers to Guard Five Prisons
PERU · SECURITY
Key Facts
—What happened: Gunmen killed four people and kidnapped a mining businessman, Jens Marty Lara, in Trujillo early on Sunday.
—Who is blamed: Police attribute the attack to Los Pulpos or La Jauría, the extortion gangs that dominate the La Libertad region.
—The state’s answer: The armed forces will take outside control of five maximum-security prisons, blocking phone signals used for extortion.
—The catch: The defence minister announced the prison intervention but could not say when it starts, asking to be “allowed to govern”.
—The bigger picture: Reported extortion cases jumped from 4,761 in 2021 to more than 22,000 in 2024, prosecutors say.
—What comes next: Premier Luis Galarreta says the government needs the special legislative powers it asked Congress for days earlier.
A pre-dawn massacre in Trujillo, with four dead and a mining businessman kidnapped, has pushed Peru’s government into emergency mode: soldiers at prison gates, sweeps in the north and a fresh demand that Congress hand over special powers.
What happened on Húsares de Junín avenue
The attack came in the early hours of Sunday 30 August, on the third block of Avenida Húsares de Junín in Trujillo. Gunmen hit a white SUV carrying mining businessman Jens Marty Lara Tantaquilla, 31, and his entourage.
Four people travelling with him were killed. Police named them preliminarily as Farhad Andrea Monzón Lingán, reported to be his partner, Nadia Edith Urtecho Rodríguez, and his two bodyguards, Luis Alberto Rojas Ramos and Christopher Eduardo García Álvarez.
Marty Lara himself was taken. As of Monday morning there was no public word on his whereabouts or any ransom demand.
The La Libertad police chief, General Ricardo Espinoza Cuestas, attributed the crime to one of two gangs: Los Pulpos or La Jauría. “No criminal has beaten the state,” he said, promising that police would respond with lethal force.
Who Los Pulpos are
Los Pulpos, “the Octopuses”, grew out of Trujillo’s El Porvenir district in the 1990s. The group specialises in extortion, kidnapping and contract killing, according to a profile by the organised-crime monitor InSight Crime.
Its model is the “vacuna”, literally a vaccine: regular protection payments extracted under threat of death. Business owners who refuse face dynamite attacks, kidnapping or murder.
The gang has gone regional, with cells reported in Chile, Argentina and Ecuador. Mining entrepreneurs are a favoured target because ransoms run high.
In February, kidnappers demanded 7 million soles (US$2.1 million) for another mining businessman, who was rescued from an underground cell in Cajamarca. Police say 23 suspected Pulpos members have been detained this year.
The government’s emergency answer
Within hours, the response escalated from policing to the military. The defence minister announced that the armed forces will take external control of five maximum-security prisons, including El Milagro in the north and Challapalca in the south.
The plan pairs perimeter control with signal blocking, to stop extortion calls, phones, weapons and drugs moving through the gates. Local daily Diario Correo had reported hours earlier that the control equipment at the city’s own prison was inoperative.
The minister also announced sweep operations and territorial cordons in the city. Pressed on timing for the prison intervention, he admitted he did not know, adding: “We need them to let us govern.”
Premier Luis Galarreta then linked the massacre to the government’s pending request for legislative powers to fight organised crime. Congress had not granted the powers, requested days earlier, when Sunday’s attack happened.
President José Jerí has ruled since late 2025 with security as his central promise. A state of emergency already covers Lima and the neighbouring port of Callao.
The numbers behind the emergency
Reported extortion cases climbed from 4,761 in 2021 to more than 22,000 in 2024, according to the attorney general’s office. Business associations say many more cases go unreported because victims fear reprisals.
Kidnapping for ransom, once rare in Peru, has returned with the extortion economy. The city and the mining corridors of La Libertad sit at its centre.
For foreign investors the signal is direct. Mining is the backbone of Peruvian exports, and the gangs have learned that mining payrolls and contractors are the softest high-value targets.
What to watch from here
The first question is whether Jens Marty Lara is recovered alive. Past cases suggest the first days decide the outcome.
The second is Congress. The government now frames the legislative-powers request as the answer to a massacre, which raises the cost of voting no.
The third is the prisons. Putting soldiers at the gates is quick; dismantling the phone and money networks inside has defeated several Peruvian governments before this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Trujillo on 30 August 2026?
Gunmen attacked a vehicle on Avenida Húsares de Junín before dawn, killing four people and kidnapping mining businessman Jens Marty Lara, 31. Police attribute the attack to the gangs Los Pulpos or La Jauría.
Who are Los Pulpos?
A criminal organisation founded in Trujillo in the 1990s that specialises in extortion, kidnapping and contract killing. It has expanded beyond Peru, with cells reported in Chile, Argentina and Ecuador.
How did the Peruvian government respond?
It announced armed-forces control of the perimeters of five maximum-security prisons, signal blocking inside them, and sweep operations with territorial cordons in the city. No start date for the prison intervention was given.
What legislative powers does the government want?
The executive asked Congress for special powers to legislate against organised crime, a request pending when the massacre occurred. Premier Luis Galarreta said after the attack that those powers are needed to strengthen the fight against crime.
How bad is extortion in Peru?
Reported cases rose from 4,761 in 2021 to more than 22,000 in 2024, according to the attorney general’s office. Business groups say the true figure is higher because many victims do not report.
Sources
Diario Correo (Trujillo), El Peruano, Gestión, Caretas, Infobae, InSight Crime, Diálogo Americas and statements by the La Libertad regional police and the premier’s office.
Connected Coverage
We reported the original powers request in Peru asks for special powers against hostile groups, with the army in the frame and the follow-up in the 120-day legislative powers request now before Congress.
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