Berliner Tageblatt - Peru arrests extortion gang that used Nazi symbols to sow terror

The five suspects from Colombia and Venezuela were arrested in raids on two homes, one in the capital Lima and another in the neighboring city of Huaral.

In addition to weapons and explosives, police discovered around 100 stickers depicting an eagle with a swastika, an emblem of the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler.

Investigators found an oil painting of late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar with a wad of dollars sticking out of his shirt pocket.

Police chief Juan Mundaca said the authorities were investigating whether the stickers were the same as those that appeared on the homes and cars of extortion victims.

Prosecutor Jose Silva said the gang had threatened business owners in the Huaral area, as well as a judge.

Peru is battling a steep surge in gang violence, characterized by a wave of killings linked to extortion rackets.

Criminal gangs such as Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, which operates across Latin America, are accused of holding entire communities to ransom and of gunning down people who refuse to pay protection money.

This is not the first time that criminal gangs in the Andean nation have been caught using Nazi symbols.

In May 2023, police seized 58 kilograms of cocaine bricks destined for Belgium which were wrapped in a Nazi flag and stamped with Hitler's name.

C.Meier--BTB