Jhonsson Smit Cruz Torres, alias “Jhonsson Pulpo,” the alleged leader of the Peruvian criminal group the Pulpos, was arrested in Bolivia on September 1. His capture came days after his organization was accused by the police of orchestrating a violent kidnapping that dominated the headlines in Peru. The arrest could shake the group he led but promises to do little to stem the country’s extortion crisis.
Peru’s government confirmed the capture of Jhonsson Pulpo in La Paz, which it said was the result of months of joint intelligence work with Bolivian police, as well as the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Jhonsson Pulpo was quickly transferred to the Peruvian authorities.
SEE ALSO: The Pulpos Criminal Profile
Jhonsson Pulpo was one of Peru’s most-wanted criminals, with a reward of up to $148,000 (500,000 soles) for information leading to his capture. He allegedly inherited leadership of the Pulpos when he was 17 years old after his father Jhon Smith Cruz Arce, alias “Jhon Pulpo,” a founder and former leader of the group, was imprisoned in 2013.
Jhonsson Pulpo was wanted for crimes including robbery resulting in death, aggravated homicide, contract killing, organized crime, and kidnapping. In 2022, he was sentenced to life in prison in absentia. The group he allegedly led, Los Pulpos (the Octopi), is a multi-generational, family-based criminal organization that originated in the El Porvenir district of the city of Trujillo. Following Jhonsson Pulpo’s capture, Bolivian police said that while the Pulpos’ base of operations is in Peru, it has expanded into other countries.
The arrest came days after gunmen, who according to the police were disguised as policemen, kidnapped mining businessman Jenss Lara Tantaquilla in the city of Trujillo, pushing the Pulpos into the headlines once again. The four people traveling with him at the time were killed.
Lara was released the following day. Peru’s justice minister, Ernesto Álvarez, tied his abduction to a decision to stop paying the Pulpos extortion fees. Lara’s father, Eleuterio Lara, publicly denied that the family paid a ransom.
It’s unclear who might replace Jhonsson Pulpo at the head of the Pulpos. His father, after serving 17 years following his arrest and conviction, was released in 2025.
The Pulpos’ Place in Peru’s Criminal Order
The Pulpos have dominated the headlines in Peru in recent years, mainly for their extortion of public transport operators and small and medium-sized business owners in the mining region La Libertad. The group has also expanded into kidnapping and other criminal markets, as well as beyond Peru’s borders. It now has a presence in Chile, as well as Ecuador, according to Peru’s police and InSight Crime reporting. Peru’s police also allege that the gang has a presence in Argentina.
Los Pulpos have become the most visible face of Peru’s extortion crisis. The country recorded a record number of extortion complaints in 2025, reaching nearly 27,000. Extortion-related homicides have also surged. Thousands of small businesses have been forced to close because of insecurity, and extortionists are now targeting unusual sectors, according to a local association of convenience stores.
While Cruz Torres’s capture marks a significant blow to the organization’s leadership, his gang is far from the only one profiting from extortion in Peru, and his arrest is unlikely to have any real impact on extortion rates.
“They serve as a scapegoat. Whatever happens, good or bad, people say: ‘It was Los Pulpos,’” Julio Corcuera Portugal, a former vice interior minister, told InSight Crime.
“Perhaps their biggest impact is the level of violence they generate. But if they disappeared, the criminal dynamics would remain,” he added.
Extortion is now highly lucrative for hundreds of criminal groups across the country. In Lima alone, the government estimated at the beginning of 2025 that there were more than 200 criminal organizations active.
SEE ALSO: An Extortion ‘Monster’ Is Now Peru’s Most Wanted Criminal
Among a number of other notorious alleged criminal bosses is Erick Moreno Hernández, alias “El Monstruo,” who is accused of leading Los Injertos del Cono Norte, a criminal network responsible for kidnappings and extortion across northern Lima. El Monstruo continues to evade capture since fleeing Peru last year.
Other groups involved in extortion have spread across Peru’s mining regions. A group called La Jauría (The Pack) is active in Trujillo province in the department of La Libertad, and the Guardianes de la Trocha (Guardians of the Trail) in the Amazon region of Madre de Dios, both of which extort illegal miners and businesses.
Other names that continue to head the government’s most-wanted list aside from El Monstruo include Rodrigo Torres, an alleged drug trafficker, and Gonzalo Monteverde Bussalleu, who is wanted for money laundering in connection with the Odebrecht corruption scandal.
Against the backdrop of this explosion in extortion gangs, the demise of the Pulpos could represent an opportunity for rivals, according to Corcuera Portugal.
“The arrest will weaken Los Pulpos, but it will also prompt other criminal groups operating in northern Peru and Trujillo to try to fill the spaces they leave behind,” he said.