Huanuco gunfight leaves three police wounded, three missing

A gunfight between Peruvian National Police officers and cattle rustlers in the Huánuco region left three officers injured and three more missing yesterday morning.
The six policemen were dispatched to investigate reports of livestock theft in the community of Palca in the Lauricocha province, where locals had reported a series of thefts.
They were ambushed at around [...]

Grenade and cannabis plantation found in Lima avenue

A fragmentation grenade and more than 200 cannabis plants have been found in an avenue in Lima’s La Victoria region.
Municipal gardeners came across the grenade at about 10am, while tending the plants in the central reservation of San Eugenio Avenue. They immediately alerted police, who called specialist officers from the EDEX “bomb squad” division to [...]

“Robocops” to hit the streets of Peru

At yesterday’s police operation to retake the Santa Anita market in Lima, a number of officers were seen wearing suits of black plastic armor, much to the surprise of commentators and protesters.
Dubbed “robocops” by the press, these are members of the 34th Command or Special Services Unit, and after the new uniform’s successful trial [...]

Bus crash outside Lima leaves one dead, 22 injured

A crash between a local bus and a heavy truck left one passenger dead and 22 wounded in Chaclacayo yesterday. The public transport vehicle was headed from the popular weekend destination of Chosica to Lima, about 30km away, when it struck a goods vehicle that suddenly pulled out of a fuel station.
A 19-year-old woman was [...]

Amnesty International: Fujimori cannot be trusted

Peru’s Amnesty International Director Ismael Vega has said that it is hard to believe that fugitive ex-President Alberto Fujimori will abide by the decision of the Chilean courts if they rule in favor of his extradition to Peru, given his track record of dishonesty.
“You cannot believe Fujimori. He can say that he will respect the [...]

Death of Peruvian band may have been murder

Victor Valladares, the press liaison for Peruvian music group Néctar, all of whose members were killed yesterday morning in a road accident in Buenos Aires, has claimed that the deaths could be the work of an organized crime syndicate that extorts protection money from singers and bands.
He added that Juan Murillo, the band’s manager and [...]

Problems of youth gangs

“Anyone under 18 is free to commit murder” 
The controversial proposal by Surquillo mayor Gustavo Sierra to punish the parents of children involved in gang activity has met with the approval of Virginia Borra, Minister for Woman and Social Development.
“We need some legal mechanism to stop this. We either have to establish an age limit for [...]

Drug growers may switch from cocaine to cocoa

Coca eradication in Huánuco
The farmers of Huánuco, who have recently been involved in violent civil unrest to protect their right to crow cocaine-precursor crop coca, have requested temporary financial aid from the state while they change over to growing cacao, from which chocolate is made. According to Grover Pango, who represents the government in talks [...]

Paracas park rangers attacked by dynamite fishermen

Three park rangers of the Paracas National Reserve were brutally attacked yesterday as they attempted to arrest five men who had been dynamite fishing in the Independencia bay, in the south of the protected area, according to national parks service Inrena.
The rangers were making a routine patrol when they heard three detonations coming from the [...]

Natives threaten to take control of oil pipeline

Natives from the district of Imaza (Bagua, Amazonas) warned today that they will take control over the pumping station of the North Peruvian Oil Pipeline if their law suit is not heard.
Their leader, César Tantalean, confirmed that they are demanding improvements to the road infrastructure in the region.
“They are laughing at us, the authorities [...]