Credit: Peruvian Police via X
A Peruvian “drug lord” has been arrested while on the run for allegedly ordering two women and a teenager to be kidnapped and tortured to death over an Instagram livestream.
Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, 20, also known as “Little J” was caught hiding in a lorry in Peru after fleeing Argentina where he is accused of orchestrating the murders of Lara Gutiérrez, 15, and her 20-year-old cousins Brenda del Castillo and Morena Verdi.
In a separate operation, police also detained Matías Ozorio, a 28-year-old Argentine man, who is said to be Valverde’s right-hand man.
The girls had been kidnapped in retaliation for stealing 6lb of cocaine from Victoriano’s alleged cartel, police said.
The three victims were lured to a party with promises of being paid £220 to attend.
There, they were tricked into climbing into a van and taken to a house in Florencio Varela, about 15 miles south of Buenos Aires, where they were tortured and killed, police said.
The torture was live-streamed by the gang to a closed group of 45 viewers as a warning message.
During the livestream, a voice could be heard saying “this is what happens to those who steal drugs from me”, Javier Alonso, security minister of Buenos Aires province, said.
The bodies of Lara Gutiérrez, 15, and her 20-year-old cousins Brenda del Castillo and Morena Verd were found buried in a garden outside Buenos Aires
The three bodies were found last Wednesday, five days after they went missing, buried deep underground in the house’s garden with blankets, stones and cement piled on top of them.
Police located the house using tracking data from a mobile phone belonging to one of the victims.
Officers found a couple cleaning blood stains from the walls and floors with bleach and arrested them along with two other suspects who owned the house.
The discovery of the bodies prompted protests from thousands of anti-femicide campaigners in Buenos Aires.
Patricia Bullrich, Argentina’s minister of national security, said police were able to track down Valverde to Pucusana, a beach resort 40 miles from Lima, because he had continued to use his cell phone.
Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano is escorted to a police station in Lima, Peru, after being caught by police – AP/Martin Mejia
She said: “Not even the chip had been changed. It was a very rudimentary operation.
“The number was the same one a witness had provided to the court. That’s very unprofessional for a drug trafficker.”
Ms Bullrich shared a picture of Valverde’s arrest on social media and praised officers for their investigation.
“I want to congratulate Peru’s national police for the great work they’ve done and their co-operation in the capture of the two fugitives for the triple murders
“Anti-drugs officers held Little J in Pucusana, showing that when working decisively and in coordination, criminals have nowhere to hide.”
She ended her message by writing: “You reap what you sow.”
Women’s rights group protest about the murders in Buenos Aires – LUIS ROBAYO/AFP
After the arrests, a spokesman for Peru’s national police said: “In a swift and simultaneous operation, agents from the anti-drug directorate, in coordination with Interpol Argentina, arrested alias Little J and Matias Agustin Ozorio, both fugitives from Argentina with red notices issued by Interpol and implicated in a triple murder in Buenos Aires.
“The case involves three young women murdered in violent circumstances.
“Tony Valverde, a Peruvian citizen, is believed to be linked to international drug trafficking networks and is identified as the alleged mastermind behind the crime, while authorities coordinate his transfer to Argentine justice.”
Ozorio will soon be handed over to Argentine police. Valverde will remain in jail in Peru, pending an extradition request by Argentina.
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