Who is ‘Jhon Pulpo,’ the Los Pulpos leader who changed his face and was arrested in Bolivia?

Jhonsson Smit Cruz Torres, known as “Jhon Pulpo,” was arrested in central La Paz after authorities tracked down one of Peru’s most wanted alleged criminals. The operation took place at about 9:45 a.m. near Isaac Tamayo Street, where Bolivian police intervened while he was inside a commercial apartment building.

Police said Cruz Torres tried to flee after noticing the officers, but they subdued and detained him. During the operation, investigators found $10,000, 700 Bolivianos and 10,000 Chilean pesos, along with mobile phones, passports and identity documents linked to different identities.

Bolivian police commander Adrián Álvarez described the Peruvian as a “high-value regional target,” citing the alleged danger and reach of the criminal activities associated with him. Álvarez also said Cruz Torres may have undergone cosmetic procedures on his ears, cheekbones and eyebrows to alter his appearance and avoid arrest.

Peruvian authorities identify Cruz Torres as the main leader of Los Pulpos, a criminal organization whose main area of operation is Trujillo, in northern Peru’s La Libertad region. The group emerged in the 1990s and was initially linked to theft and robbery, but authorities say it later expanded into extortion, kidnapping, contract killings and the collection of illegal protection payments.

Investigators accuse Cruz Torres of directing the organization while in hiding. Bolivian authorities said he had moved at different times between Peru, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, making him a regional target. He faces an international arrest warrant for alleged aggravated robbery resulting in death, qualified homicide, contract killing, criminal organization and aggravated kidnapping, among other offenses. Peru’s Interior Ministry had offered 500,000 soles, about $148,000, for information leading to his location.

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high-value regional target