In the early hours of April 8, a major operation coordinated between the National Police of Peru (PNP) and the Public Ministry resulted in the arrest of 18 alleged members of the criminal organization known as ‘Cuentas del Miedo’. This group is accused of extorting transportation companies, accumulating over S/ 9 million through various criminal practices. The operation took place across eight districts in Lima, including San Juan de Miraflores and Villa María del Triunfo, and involved the intervention of 20 properties and three penitentiary centers.
According to Lieutenant General Manuel Lozada, this criminal group used money laundering techniques in betting houses and casinos to evade justice. Among those arrested is an Army officer and a driver from the company ‘Los Rojitos’, who has been a victim of several attacks, including the murder of a young driver and two passengers.
Senior Prosecutor Jorge Chávez Cotrina highlighted that the network had been operating since September 2023, extorting up to nine transportation companies and demanding significant payments to avoid attacks. Authorities warn that the organization was composed of four family clans with a high degree of infiltration in the transportation sector, raising concerns about security and control in this industry. The 18 detainees will remain in preventive detention for 15 days while the investigation progresses.
