brutal crime has shocked Peru and generated outrage at an international level. Thirteen miners who had been kidnapped were found dead in a mine in the province of Pataz, La Libertad region, in the north of the country. The bodies showed signs of having been systematically executed, as they were bound hand and foot and had gunshot wounds.
According to preliminary information, the workers were kidnapped on April 26 by members of a criminal organization led by Miguel Rodríguez Díaz, alias "Cuchillo," which operates in illegal mining areas and is known for the use of extreme violence to control territories and resources.
Although Peruvian authorities attempted to establish communication and negotiation with the criminal group after the kidnapping, they received no response. After several days of searching, an operation was deployed that finally led to the discovery of the bodies, confirming the brutal multiple homicide.
The Peruvian government has not yet issued an official statement on the case, but it is expected that operations against organized crime in the mining areas of the country will be intensified. The situation has provoked a wave of outrage over the growing insecurity in regions controlled by criminal gangs.
