At 17, most young people envision a future far from crime, but Jhonsson Smith Cruz Torres, now 30, took the reins of a bloody legacy.
The imprisonment of his father, Jhon Cruz Arce, alias "John Pulpo," left a power vacuum on the streets of the populous Trujillo district of El Porvenir, in La Libertad region, which the teenager immediately filled.
He is the third generation of a family that began gaining notoriety for its violence in the 1990s, initially through robbery and theft.
But the Cruz Arce brothers, with Jhon at the helm, soon took the criminal gang to another level, turning it into one of the most dangerous in Trujillo.
However, under the tutelage of close relatives who refined his methods of coercion, Jhonsson not only kept the organization alive but also transformed it into a much more violent criminal operation.
The organization expanded beyond the country's borders, with its most serious crimes including kidnapping, extortion, and the use of explosives to intimidate its victims and enemies.
An empire of violence and extortion
Over time, the gang's sphere of operations expanded through the creation of factions such as La Jauria, La Nueva Jauria, Los Cachacos, among others.
These operational arms were dedicated to contract killings and collecting extortion payments.
Nonetheless, over time, these gangs became enemies of Los Pulpos after Jhonsson decided to kill some of their members upon discovering that some were suspected informants for the Peruvian National Police (PNP).
However, the terror strategy only accelerated the judicial response, which ultimately resulted in Jhonsson receiving a life sentence and an international arrest warrant coordinated through Interpol.
Known sentence
Currently, Jhonsson Cruz Torres is serving a life sentence handed down by the Third Supraprovincial Collegiate Criminal Court for aggravated robbery resulting in death, in connection with the murder of a female merchant in Trujillo in 2020, who was known as the "Potato Queen."
To evade enforcement of the sentence, Jhonsson faked his own death using forged documents, according to media reports at the time.
Crimes attributed to him
Jhonsson Smith Cruz Torres has been linked to aggravated robbery resulting in death, aggravated homicide, contract killings, membership in a criminal organization, and aggravated kidnapping.
One of the first kidnappings he was linked to was that of Alan Ríos Guevara, the son of a councilwoman in El Porvenir district, Trujillo province.
The kidnappers demanded US$300,000, and the victim was held captive for approximately 15 days.
The victim was later released but had part of one ear mutilated.
A woman identified as his partner, Keysi Alessandra Salvatierra Vigo, had previously been arrested under a warrant linked to this case.
Kidnapping and murder of Manuel Rodriguez Cruzado
In 2022, Los Pulpos were linked to the kidnapping of 73-year-old businessman Manuel Rodriguez Cruzado.
According to the journalistic investigation, the gang allegedly demanded S/150,000 (about US$44,642); the family paid S/120,000 (about US$35,714), but the victim was murdered and found buried months later in Moche.
The Luis Alberto Huamanchumo Salvatierra case
Jhonsson Pulpo was also linked to the kidnapping and killing of Luis Alberto Huamanchumo Salvatierra, whose body was found buried in El Porvenir.
Another high-profile kidnapping linked to the criminal organization was that of Trujillo businessman Ivan Garrido Diaz. Fake police agents went to his business on Peru Avenue and kidnapped him.
The businessman was forced to pay US$250,000 to be released.
During his captivity, he was tortured and had four of his fingers severed. Four people have been sentenced to life imprisonment for this crime.
Jenss Marty Lara Tantaquilla Case
In August 2026, mining businessman Jenss Marty Lara Tantaquilla was kidnapped during an attack in Trujillo that left four people dead.
Police are investigating a possible connection to Los Pulpos and Cruz Torres.
The false myth of five identities
Knowing he was cornered by the Interior Ministry's rewards program, Cruz Torres embarked on a years-long flight from the authorities.
To avoid being discovered, he devised a sophisticated disguise system that included using five false identities and undergoing various surgical procedures to alter his facial features.
From hiding, the fugitive managed to cross Peru's borders and attempted to replicate his extortion networks in Chile and Bolivia, convinced that his new appearance and forged documents would keep him safe from authorities in the region.
The end in the neighboring country
The elusive criminal's protection network collapsed in Bolivia.
Meticulous intelligence work between the Peruvian National Police and their Bolivian counterparts led authorities to the home where he had been hiding.
Although the detained man had a different appearance and documents bearing other people's names, forensic tests confirmed that he was Los Pulpos leader, bringing a decade-long manhunt to an end.
His arrest shatters the myth of his invulnerability and leaves El Porvenir's criminal dynasty on the brink of definitive collapse before the Peruvian courts.
Bolivian authorities said the organization had allegedly expanded its operations from Peru into Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, primarily through extortion, kidnappings, and contract killings.
During his arrest in La Paz, authorities seized US$10,000, 700 bolivianos, 10,000 Chilean pesos, phones, and documents.
It was also reported that Cruz Torres had allegedly undergone facial surgery to alter his appearance.
Reward and search history
Before his capture, Cruz Torres was among the fugitives most wanted by Peruvian authorities and had a reward of up to S/50,000 (about US$14,880) for information leading to his whereabouts.
In 2024, the reward had been increased to S/ 75,000 (about US$22,321).
It was reported that Interpol had issued a Red Notice, although this measure by itself does not amount to an international conviction or automatically oblige all countries to extradite him.
What sentence would he face?
Strictly speaking, he would not have to "face" a new sentence because of the conviction already handed down, but rather serve the reported life sentence, unless there is a review, annulment, exceptional legal benefit, or some issue concerning the proceedings' validity.
(END) LPZ/MAO/MVB