How extortion is ruining lives in Peru

PERU is battling a wave of extortion that has led to bus drivers being murdered and dozens of schools and businesses forced to close for refusing to pay protection money to criminal gangs.

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Troops have been deployed on the streets of the capital Lima to try to quell the violence. But so far, the crackdown has failed to yield results.

Between January and April, police received 9 097 complaints for attempted shakedowns, up 19% from the same period in 2024.

Three victims of racketeering in Lima spoke about how they were personally affected:

Gustavo Salazar Yachachin was shot dead in Lima on November 22, last year while at the wheel of the bus he was driving for a private transport company.

The company, El Rapido, had for weeks been on the receiving end of threats from racketeers.

Two hitmen traveling by motorbike took revenge for the company’s failure to pay up by killing 45-year-old Salazar Yachachin, the father of a 12-year-old boy.