MegaOperation in Cajamarca, Lima, Piura and Tampes: Eliminate the Mafia that smuggled weapons to Ecuador

The National Police of Peru (PNP) was able to destroy the mafias that sold arms Criminal gangsDuring a mega operation carried out simultaneously Lima, Buera, Tampes and Cajamarca.

700 PNP troops and 60 organized crime prosecutors participated in these interventions. National Surveillance of Defense Services, Control of Arms, Ammunition and Explosives for Civil Use (Sugamek).

Additionally, agents from the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Investigation (HSI), part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE), were present. ICE is responsible for investigating national and international activities. Arising from the illegal movement of people, money, and goods into and out of the United States. The presence of these forces does not rule out that the weapons were sourced in a North American country.

These mafias were in the constitutional province Callo and the districts of Lima such as Rímac, Breña and San Isidro.

Authorities continued to monitor more than 100 AR15 weapons used for sport and hunting that were reported stolen or lost. For example, he Public Ministry He received information that weapons of this type had been seized from one of the criminals involved in the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

That way, reporting the weapons as missing and sending them later would be part of the strategy to Ecuador illegally.

More than 100 weapons are said to be missing and are now in the hands of organized crime, who may have crossed the border into Ecuador illegally.

Jorge Chavez Cotrina, National Coordinator of the Office of Special Prosecutors Against Organized Crime, commented. Latin The case was jointly prosecuted by Cristian Santamaria, a criminal prosecutor from Northwest Lima. High Complexity Research Unit (Diviac) of custody

“They followed the traces of weapons reported missing because the mechanism of these legitimate companies is to import weapons and call their names (the givers) known as 'credit names'. To whom they give everything.” They can get the documents Licensing in Sugamek, pThen buy them legally. Once they receive them, they make false reports of loss or theft. (Eventually), these weapons find their way into the black market nationally and abroad,” he elaborated.

Altemiro Soprato Meza is also accused of buying more than 50 guns at $2,500 each, Cotrina said. I mean, he spent a whole lot 100 thousand dollars in these acquisitions. The public prosecutor said that since he was working as a bus driver, he could not prove where he got such a huge sum.

“What is surprising is that this man, in March 2023, reported the loss of a large quantity of weapons because a landslide crossed his path, destroyed his car and the weapons were lost. “This is one of the methods they use to divert these weapons to the criminal market later,” he says.

The public prosecutor opined that the judge who heard the case ordered the people concerned to be remanded in custody for 15 days. “Police, in conjunction with the Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office“It has gathered evidence of processes like who are the members of the organization, how many there are, what is the organizational chart, i.e., the leaders, the 'presta names', who are the funders,” he pointed out.

“At this time, several arrests have been made and weapons have been seized from these establishments. This information is being exchanged with justice operators in Ecuador, and they have confirmed to us that one of the weapons seized was used to kill. Former presidential candidate. It will be subject to in-depth investigation these days,” he added.

In the early hours of this Wednesday, March 13, the PNP arrested 18 people, allegedly belonging to the criminal organization “Los abastecedores de Ventanilla y Callao.” Among them were the owners of the companies involved.

“The law, unfortunately, allows these people to buy unlimited arms and ammunition. So, frankly, what we need is to change the rule,” he said.