The Pulpos, also known as the Pulpos of Trujillo, are a transnational Peruvian gang dedicated to extortion, kidnapping, and murder. The group emerged in the 1990s and, in recent years, has expanded its operations from the province of La Libertad, Peru, to other countries in the region, especially Chile.
Their activities are marked by the use of extreme violence against business owners and merchants — primarily of Peruvian origin — in the territories where they operate.
History
The Pulpos were founded in the 1990s by brothers Miller, Nilton, Eddy, and Jhon Cruz Arce in the city of Trujillo, La Libertad province, Peru. The group was based in El Porvenir, a district with high poverty levels.
Initially, the gang carried out small-scale robberies under Miller’s leadership until he was arrested in 1995 for assault. Although he was released a year later, Miller returned to prison in 2002 after committing three murders — including the killing of a National Police officer.
The group then came under the command of Jhon, alias “Jhon Pulpo.” He focused operations on collecting “vacunas” — a form of extortion in which victims make regular payments under the threat of violence — and targeted killings of those who refused to pay.
By the early 2010s, authorities considered the gang to have been largely dismantled after Jhon Pulpo was sentenced to 25 years in prison for homicide in 2008. His brother Nilton was arrested for sexual assault in 2011. The only brother still free, Eddy, moved to Chile in 2010.
But in 2014, Jhon’s son, Jhonsson Smit Cruz Torres, alias “Jhonsson Pulpo,” took control of the organization at the age of 17, ushering in a new phase of expansion in Peru marked by particularly violent extortion and kidnapping schemes targeting shop owners, schools, and business leaders from several sectors, such as the transport and mining industries.
In 2021, Chilean police received the first complaints against the Pulpos in the capital city, Santiago. Eddy had allegedly built a network of informants in municipalities such as Recoleta and secured public contracts through a waste collection cooperative called Jatún Newén.
In Chile, the group reportedly demands monthly payments from businesses run by Peruvian migrants ranging from $312 to $2,120 in exchange for “protection.” Failure to pay can result in violent reprisals, including dynamite attacks on businesses, kidnappings, or murder.
Since then, the group has expanded into new territories.
In September 2025, Ecuador’s National Police arrested 18 members of the Pulpos in a mining area of Zamora Chinchipe province. They were accused of extorting miners in the area and murdering several individuals linked to the Ecuadorian gang the Choneros.
Leadership
Jhonsson Pulpo is the current leader of the Pulpos and one of Peru’s most wanted criminals after being sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2020 murder of a businesswoman in Trujillo. His whereabouts are unknown, and in the past he has faked his own death to evade justice.
Other key figures close to Jhonsson Pulpo include Willan Gianmarco Rosado, alias “El Wara,” and Luis Alberto Daga Lozano, alias “Pacolo,” accused of leading a splinter faction known as the Pulpos Nueva Generación in Chile. Both were arrested in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The former leader of the Pulpos and Jhonsson’s father, Jhon Pulpo, reportedly continued his criminal activities from prison until his release in 2025 after serving 17 years of his sentence.
Geography
The Cruz Arce brothers founded the Pulpos in La Libertad province, Peru. Over time, they have expanded operations to other territories and countries, including the metropolitan region of Santiago in Chile, as well as Zamora Chinchipe province in Ecuador.
Authorities have also reported the presence of Pulpos members in other countries such as Argentina. In September 2025, some Argentine media outlets linked those responsible for a triple femicide in Buenos Aires to the Pulpos, but so far there is no evidence that the group has established a presence in that country.
Allies and Enemies
The Pulpos have clashed with other local and transnational gangs — including Tren de Aragua and the Choneros — in the areas where they operate.
In the city of Trujillo, some corrupt police officers have allegedly collaborated with the organization.
Prospects
Over the past decades, the Pulpos have evolved from a small-scale robbery gang into a transnational organization focused on one of the region’s most lucrative criminal economies: extortion. The group has proven capable of adapting to police pressure and using violence to dominate rival gangs in the territories it controls.
Its presence in multiple countries points to an expansionist drive that opportunistically exploits migration flows from Peru and both legal and illegal economies within its reach — including the gold mining sector, which has experienced a boom in recent years. For these reasons, the group is likely to continue expanding into new territories.
