Extradited extortion ringleader in Peru to be prosecuted for criminal organization

Erick Moreno, identified as the leader of the criminal organization 'Los injertos del cono norte,' will be prosecuted in Peru for multiple serious crimes, including criminal organization, attempted homicide, grievous bodily harm resulting in death, and extortion. This follows an expansion of his extradition approved by Paraguayan authorities.

The Peruvian Prosecutor's Office stated that prosecutor Edwin Velásquez gathered sufficient evidence linking Moreno to these offenses committed in Lima's northern districts of Ancón, Independencia, and Puente Piedra. The expanded extradition will allow Moreno, also known as 'El Monstruo' (The Monster), to be tried for leading the 'Los injertos del cono norte' network and for ordering an attack on a public transport driver in Ancón in 2024.

Further charges include extortion of public transport drivers for weekly payments of 40 soles (approximately $11), extorting a transport company for 60,000 soles ($17,600) in 2025 to prevent attacks on its fleet, and the murder of a public transport driver in early 2025. Moreno, who fled Peru in 2023 to avoid a 32-year sentence for kidnapping, theft, homicide, and contract killing, was apprehended in Paraguay in October 2025.

He was extradited to Peru on January 28 and initially placed under a three-year pre-trial detention order for belonging to a criminal organization. During a judicial hearing, Moreno expressed remorse and apologized for the murders. However, he contested some charges, claiming that other criminal groups used his gang's name to exploit its popularity.

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El Monstruo