The Global Advisor: Spotlight on Latin America | March 2026 Peru
Gunmen kidnap miners in Pataz (La Libertad department) and demand concessions from employer Armed criminals on 29 January kidnapped 29 miners at a mine pithead in the Nuevo Pueblo area of Pataz and demanded the employer grant them control of the mine. The Unified Command of Pataz, which includes Peruvian police and armed forces, responded to the incident and rescued the miners hours later.
Kidnappers kill victim after forcing ransom payment in Santa Rosa de Quezada (Huánuco department) Criminals kidnapped the 27-year-old owner of a butterfly export business from his home in Santa Rosa de Quezada, forcing him into a vehicle on 14 February. The criminals made the victim hand over a large ransom. However, as the victim struggled to escape, the kidnappers shot him. Upon realising the severity of his injury, the perpetrators fled. The victim died in the hospital from his injury later that day.
Control Risks comment
Control Risks comment
Mining remains the sector most impacted by kidnapping in Peru. In the past five years, approximately 27% of all kidnap victims in the country worked in the industry, a statistic driven by the mass kidnapping of mining employees. Isolating data from 2025, the proportion rises to 47%. This increase relates to the surging involvement of high-capacity OCGs in illegal mining activity, particularly in the departments of La Libertad, Huánuco, Áncash, Huancavelica and Arequipa. These trends will likely continue over the coming year as security forces struggle to contain the increasing capabilities of criminal groups involved in highly profitable illegal mining activity.
OCGs have become increasingly violent if businesses and individuals refuse to pay extortion demands in Peru. The proportion of fatal outcomes for kidnapping victims has increased sharply. In 2024, kidnappers killed 8% of victims, whereas this figure rose to 13% in 2025. This trend is likely to continue, as kidnapping serves not only as a revenue stream to these groups, but also as a way to deter others from refusing extortion demands.
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