LIMA, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Peruvian authorities have arrested 30 suspected members of a criminal ring involved in drug trafficking and murder, Interior Minister Mauro Medina said on Wednesday.
Known as the "San Martin Executioners," the gang operated in the northern department of San Martin, hiring out members as hitmen, and running extortion, robbery and bribery schemes, as well as trafficking drugs and money laundering, the official said.
Alleged gang leader Segundo Quispe, who was caught in the northern city of Moyobamba, has been linked to at least nine cases of homicide since 2016 and 26 aggravated robberies, Medina said via Twitter.
The minister said 10 months of investigative work led to the arrests, which dealt a "significant blow" to organized crime in the region.
The arrests were made as part of a massive dragnet carried out with the help of the national police force.
