Gold trader rescued after brutal bunker kidnapping highlights Peru's ransom kidnapping boom
Jenss Lara, a 31-year-old gold trader, was held for about 36 hours in a sealed bunker in Trujillo by Los Pulpos, who demanded a multi-million-dollar ransom and threatened to mutilate him.
In August, gold trader Jenss Lara was seized near his Trujillo home by men impersonating police, handcuffed, duct-taped and taken to a hidden basement bunker only eight feet long and three feet wide, equipped with oxygen tanks. Inside the sealed cell he was stripped, threatened with finger amputation, and compelled to make two proof-of-life videos while kidnappers demanded a $2 million ransom. His father negotiated directly with Los Pulpos and paid the ransom on August 31, after which Lara was freed, though his four fellow passengers were later discovered murdered.
Authorities have placed nine alleged gang members in pre-trial detention, while leader Jhonsson Cruz was captured in Bolivia, yet the organization remains active. The case reflects a broader rise in kidnapping for ransom in Peru, where reports have risen from 2,199 in 2018 to 4,918 in 2025, shifting from elite targets to merchants, miners and small business owners, prompting a state of emergency and the creation of a Unified Command combining the Armed Forces and National Police.
Why it matters
The case shows how organized crime in Peru is expanding into lucrative ransom kidnappings, threatening public safety and prompting a national security response.
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