Peru installs first military-run perimeter checkpoint at Trujillo prison

Peru is installing its first military-run perimeter checkpoint at a prison, sending armed forces personnel to guard the outside of El Milagro prison in Trujillo. The move comes a week after the kidnapping of gold businessman Jenss Lara and the killing of his four companions, an episode authorities attributed to a criminal gang from the city.

Defense Minister Rafael Belaunde traveled to Trujillo to oversee the installation of inspection and detection equipment. He said the package includes millimeter-wave equipment, a metal detector and an X-ray system for luggage and parcels.

The equipment, transferred from the Foreign Ministry to the Defense Ministry, will strengthen external security and control at the prison. Military personnel will conduct external surveillance in support of Peru's National Police, the Defense Ministry said.

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These are millimeter-wave equipment, a metal detector and an X-ray inspection system for luggage and packages.

The violence has been linked by authorities to Los Pulpos, which they describe as involved in a dispute with other groups connected to extortion and contract killings. Lara was released on Monday after an alleged ransom payment. Belaunde later announced the capture of suspected attackers, although Lara's relatives presented indications that the detainees were not the people being sought.

Belaunde also reported the arrest in Bolivia of Los Pulpos leader Jhonsson Cruz, who was wanted by police over a previous homicide and organized-crime conviction. He defended his decision to visit detainees in Trujillo before prosecutors or police questioned them, saying, "You may find it ill-advised or inappropriate, but my motivation was to see the detainees' health and physical condition, nothing more."

The five prisons declared under emergency measures hold nearly 50 percent of inmates linked to criminal organizations that authorities believe continue directing operations from behind bars.

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You may find it ill-advised or inappropriate, but my motivation was to see the detainees' health and physical condition, nothing more.